Once In Every Lifetime
by SlytherinTribute
Summary: Harry inherited his mother's angelic heritage giving him the same unearthly features that captivated those who looked. And just like his mother, he had a destined soulmate: Draco Malfoy. After a startling revelation, Harry's powers unlocked sending him to another universe. Unbeknownst to him, his soulmate followed suit. But it may be too late for them. AU. Cliché is not my thing.
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings: Same sex relationships, Cross-dressing and possibly OC.**

****Alternate Universe: Medieval setting (like in Kyou Kara Maou and Romeo x Juliet)**  
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You have been warned

DON'T LIKE; DON'T READ.

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><p>Chapter 1: Lily<p>

(AN: Harry's voice is more to the female side in this story... just so you know.)

_My name is Harry Potter, I am 16 years old and I'm the only survivor of the Potter House and that is to kept as a secret._

Wind hushed peacefully, causing his white shirt to flutter against his body. Harry stood in the middle of the ruins of which seemed to be an old church. No roof blocked the view of the splendid full moon and tattered walls stood no protection against the wind. It was his favorite place in the whole city. No one ever goes here and it's far enough to block out the chattering noise of people in the city. Flowers bloomed in every direction, draping the place with life and color. The ruins stood on the edge of a cliff over looking the vast mountains that surround the city.

"Mum says you should get home, its getting pretty late" said the voice from behind.

Harry didn't bother looking at the person behind him, he knew exactly who he was. "Ron."

"Why do you keep going here anyway?"

Harry turned around to face Ron. His skin emitted a light glow provided by the shining moon that was directly aligned with his body. He flashed a smile and brought his hand to his hair.

"I like silence."

Ron shrugged. "Typical. Let's get home, I'm tired." He said, walking to his horse.

"Be right with you." replied Harry as he took one last glimpse around. He followed his friend outside of the ruins and mounted his own brown horse.

oOo

They arrived after a while of traveling by horse. By the time they got back, most of the Weasleys has retreated to their rooms and the only ones awake were the maids and the guards. Maids of the Weasley House greeted them and highly encouraged them to eat before resting but both refused to do so. Ron bid him goodnight as he entered his room that was 3 doors away from Harry's.

Harry entered his room and went straight to the bathroom. He examined his reflection at the huge antique mirror with a silver frame that has the crest of the Potter house on top. The Weasleys were kind enough to spend money to have the mirror created especially for him, to remind him of his origin. As he eyed himself he noticed that he was a little paler than usual but aside from that everything looked perfectly the same; his emerald eyes were glowing brightly as though there were lights inside of them, his hair was still unruly as ever but much more to the elegant side, his lips full in color despite the paleness of his skin. The young lad sighed and opened the faucet to wash his face.

"_Tomorrow is the flower festival. The house and the town would be noisy." _He thought as he laid down his king-sized bed. Everything in his room bore the crest of the Potter House. The huge interior of his room had furniture that either matched the color of his eyes or the color of the crest of the Potter House, his canopy bed was forest green curtained with a lighter shade of green and on the top front was the crest. His long couch (which he thought was very unnecessary since almost no one goes in his room) was red, lined with a gold frame, which was also carrying the Potter crest in the middle of it. Furniture in his room seemed as though it had been salvaged from the Potters but everything was new, it was impossible to salvage anything since the house was burned into ashes on the night of the attack (according to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley)

Harry closed his eyes. "Everything will be revealed on my 17th birthday. My past will finally come to light." He said.

oOo

Morning came much too fast for Harry's liking. The red curtains stood no protection against the bright rays of the sun, the slight opening between the curtains allowed the light to shine through, hitting Harry directly on the face.

"Bright." He mumbled as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. Suddenly the doors burst open revealing a set of red-haired twins.

"Morning mate!" they said in unison. Fred and George walked over to Harry's bed and Fred sat on his left while George on his right, sandwiching him in between.

"So, Are you excited?" said Fred, putting his arm around Harry's shoulder.

"Do you have a girl you fancy?" continued George as he did the same thing.

"Are you making fun of me?" growled Harry.

The twins looked at each other and burst out laughing. Harry's eyes twitched in annoyance. "Hmph." He said, pouting and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Sorry, sorry." They said in unison. Both poked Harry's cheeks, causing the raven-haired boy to glare playfully.

"Wrong choice of words, brother." said Fred.

"Yeah, brother." replied George.

"What we meant to say was."

"Do you have any _boy_ you fancy?"

"NO! Get away from me!" exclaimed Harry. He wasn't mad about them saying such a thing but instead, he was mad because it somehow made him giggle.

"Ehem." A red-haired girl stood by the door, wearing her nightgown. "Big brothers, please leave Harry alone, we ought to get ready soon so no time would be wasted." she said.

Fred and George finished laughing, they looked at each other and nodded as they stood up from the bed and walked to their little sister.

"You're sounding more and more like mother." They teased. The twins ran down the hall as fast as they could, managing to avoid the flying slipper thrown by Ginny.

"Sorry about them." She said, still standing by the door. "Mother said we should go down for breakfast and get ready to go."

Harry stood up and walked to Ginny. "Where are we going?" He asked.

Ginny can't help but notice Harry's beauty; she blushed as he came closer to her. "Gosh, Harry. You're much more prettier than me."

The young lad chuckled and raked his hair with his hand. "I'm not. I cannot match how beautiful you are, Ginny." He said.

The red-hair found it extremely seductive and swiftly looked away, flustered. "A-anyway, we should get to breakfast, mum and dad are waiting." Ginny said awkwardly as she paced away.

Harry took a step out of the room to see Ginny rush to the left side of the hall. He smiled and said: "The other way."

The young girl paused in her tracks, turned around and paced the other way. "I knew that." She mumbled as she passed a snickering Harry.

oOo

"Harry, Ginny, I am going to take you to town to show you the flower festival! I heard that this year there would be new exotic flowers for display and for parade!" Molly Weasley announced excitedly as Harry and Ginny sat down.

Harry liked this particular side of the Weasleys. They do not mind mingling with the regular townspeople, in fact, they are quite enamored with them, unlike so many other nobles who gag at the thought of stepping a foot at the plaza where all the commoners usually play and chat with each other. He doesn't mind going there too but he's not a big fan of noise, he preferred sitting in silence at the ruins and looking over the breathtaking view of the mountains.

He took a moment to look at the occupants of the table. Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, Percy were evenly spread across the long marble table, and at the end was Mr. Weasley with Ms. Weasley right beside him.

"Eat now, darlings, the earlier the better!" chipped Mrs. Weasley happily.

Harry and Ginny nodded and proceeded to eat.

"So boys, what are you up to today?" asked Mr. Weasley as he took a big bite of sausage.

"We're going to the festival of course!" said Fred and George together.

"That's brilliant, how about you Ron?" asked Mr. Weasley again, directing his gaze at his son.

"Maybe go with mum, Harry and Ginny."

Mr. Weasley nodded and looked at Percy.

"I think I'm going out as well, it's not everyday we get to spend the flower festival." replied Percy.

Harry, who only took one of each food served on the table, stood up, causing everyone to look up at him.

"Harry dear, are you done eating already?" Mrs. Weasley asked, concern showing in her voice.

"Yes. I will get ready soon, so if you'll excuse me."

"Are you sure you don't want to eat more?" said Mr. Weasley. "Plenty more to go around."

"No thank you, sir, I'm good, really." He replied as he headed to the door leading to the hallway.

The Weasleys exchanged a worried glance with one another as they continued to eat their breakfast.

"Harry's so skinny," Said Fred.

"The lad needs to eat more. Like Ron." Continued George.

Ron, who was about to take a bite from two sausages at the same time, glared at the twins. "I do not eat much!"

"Yeah right." teased Ginny.

oOo

Bath is great. The feeling of being submerged in water is almost the same as bathing in the wind. The pool-sized bathtub was filled with lavender-colored water with bubbles. Harry sat by the edge of the tub, his arms spread across the edge.

After a minute or so, he decided to submerge his head under the water. He stayed under until his breath ran out. He stood up and left the tub, leaving a wet trail as he walked over to his towel. Harry stood in front of the huge mirror and once again examined himself. '_I need more meat._' He told himself. He had no muscles or any build of a man, instead he had the slender body of a young maiden, which he hated. But he really can't force himself to eat more, he has a bit of an appetite problem, he only needs a few bites before his stomach was full.

He sighed and dried himself with the towel.

He walked to his huge closet and browsed through all the dresses. Should he wear yellow today? Green? Purple? Black? White? Silver? Blue? Pink? He took out a classically simple green dress with long sleeves and transparent white lace around the square collar, on the cuffs, and on the edges. Green ribbon crisscross across the stomach up to the chest. A small ribbon and pink rose adorned the middle of the collar.

His towel was draped on his shoulders, leaving his whole body exposed. Harry didn't mind being naked in his own room; no one was there to see him.

He carried the dress and gently placed it down his bed. He went to his cabinet and grabbed a pair of underwear (which unfortunately were for women) and a white corset. He put on the underwear first before putting on the corset. He tied it so that his waist appeared slimmer than it originally did; fake breasts made out of sponge were inserted to make it look like he was a female. It took him only a minute or two to put on his green dress; running his hands down to smooth the cloth.

Next is to put on his wig and make up, he sat down in front of his dresser and opened the drawer where his wig is kept. The wig was a straight black hair that reached up to his waist and fell into curls. Soft and silky like real hair made it look real and natural. Harry brushed his hair to make it a lot smoother and to fix the hairs sticking up. After that, he put on a lipstick; coloring his lips to make them appear light pink. Light powder since he was pale enough, and red blush to add color to his face.

A knock came to the door followed by a voice, saying: "May I enter?"

"Of course."

Ginny entered the room, carrying a red velvet box. She was already dressed in a blue décolleté dress with intricate rose patterns on its hem. Her neck was graced with a thin silver collar with a heart-shaped amethyst on the middle. Her hair completely let loose behind her. She approached Harry in quick steps.

"Mother brought you new jewelries, she wanted me to bring it to you." said Ginny shyly. Harry looked more beautiful than ever in her— his dress. Even without admitting it, Ginny knew that she's jealous of Harry's looks.

Harry flashed her a gentle smile and took the box from Ginny's hand. "Thank you." He said, opening the velvet box. Inside was a gorgeous teardrop glass vial containing a realistic miniature white lily topped with a romantic vintage-inspired silver cap and strung on a silver rope chain. Beside it was a silver bangle carved with swirls and decorated with teardrop shaped emerald stones alternating in size, its edges rimmed with a thin straight gold lining.

"They're beautiful." said Harry, his eyes twinkling with excitement. Out of all the jewelries he had seen, the necklace was the most beautiful ever. He gently reached for the necklace and carefully unhooked its hinges. He put it around his slender neck and stared at his own reflection in the mirror. It was beautiful... _he _was beautiful. The necklace complemented his features and his green dress so perfectly that he thought everything was made specifically for each other.

"You look absolutely stunning, Lily." Ginny said, looking over Harry's shoulders. Harry smiled and nodded.

_Lily. _His late mother's name. That's the name his foster parents chose for him the day they decided to put him in a dress and false long hair. The reason as to why they did so was in order to protect him from those people who assassinated his whole family, which was still a mystery to him. He let out a sigh and stood up.

"Shall we go?" said Harry, adjusting his voice so that it sounded like a girl's, though it didn't need much help his voice never reached adolescence anyway.

"Yes." Replied Ginny, offering her hand for Harry to hold.

oOo

They met Molly and Ron outside and mounted the carriage as soon as it came to a halt in front of them. The three ladies (and one gentleman) were all dressed for the occasion. Today, not only nobles may dress in lavish clothes but also the commoners since it's a day to declare your attraction to the person you are enamored with, also people use this opportunity to find a special someone so they must look lovely or dashing.

"Lily dear, you're looking more and more beautiful everyday." said Mrs. Weasley as she examined Harry's features. "Maybe more than your mother already."

Harry chuckled. "That's not true, my mother was a very lovely person, and I don't believe that a man could top her beauty."

"I agree with Mother." Ginny stated, resting her head on her palm as she watched the view outside the window.

Harry could only laugh silently. He looked out the window and patiently waited for them to arrive at the plaza.

...

A thick crowd of excited people crowded the area. Excitement filled the air as people of all ages and genders scrambled to get to their special person to confess. The sweet, fresh aroma of the flowers engulfed the area.

Mrs. Weasley, closely followed by Ginny dismounted the carriage. Harry stayed behind to ready himself, he peeked outside and saw Mrs. Weasley already walking to the nearest flower stall, Ginny was left outside the carriage, waiting for him to dismount.

As he took a step out of the carriage, people paused to take a look at him. Despite his simple appearance, people still gaped at the sight of him. Harry wondered why the people around him looked as if they're looking at something they have never seen before. What he hadn't known was his skin was practically glowing without the help of the sun or any lighting, his eyes sparkled in perfect contrast with his skin and his hair flowed naturally behind him.

"People are staring." He said, awkwardly avoiding everyone's gaze. Ginny grabbed his arm and dragged him to Mrs. Weasley who was humming in excitement as she picked out flowers from the stalls.

"Mother, would you mind if Lily and I were to walk around the area?" asked Ginny as she clung tightly on Harry's arm.

Concern suddenly filled Molly's face but disappeared a moment later and was replaced by her usual motherly smile. "Of course sweet hearts, but just be careful and meet me at the fountain at the first horn before the parade starts, okay?"

Both nodded and rushed to the other way where the huge fountain was located. Harry and Ginny looked like ordinary friends out on a trip to the plaza. They didn't look alike at all so being mistaken as siblings is simply out of the question for them.

"What do you reckon we do?" the red-haired girl asked as they both sat down on the edge of the fountain.

"I don't know," he continued. "This place is too noisy for me."

"Oh come now, Harry! It is rare enough for you to go outside and you say that you don't like it here!" the girl exclaimed.

The young lad was taken aback a bit at the suddenness of his friend. "It's not that I don't like it here, it's a very lovely place especially with all the different colored flowers decorating the area."

"Then why do you sound so uninterested?"

"It must be your imagination."

"Hmph." Ginny playfully pouted, earning a giggle from the man.

"Well then, it is one of my rare day out so maybe we ought to get some fun while it lasted." He said as he stood up. He straightened his dress and offered his hand to assist Ginny.

"Act more lady-like, _Lily._" The young lass said, emphasizing the word "Lily."

Around strangers, he is to be called "Lily" for certain reasons. Of course he complied, seeing as it is one of the few requests the Weasleys asked him. Everything regarding his whole life was a mystery to him and reaching the age of 17 would clarify everything.

Harry took a moment to savor the surroundings. Above the fountain was a bridge arching gracefully to connect the road. The crest of the Malfoy House was carved in the middle of it and beside it was an intricate carving of flowers that seemed to be roses. Structures in different heights enclosed the area, creating a pentagon shape. A huge door stood proudly on the east side of the plaza. He's told that the door led to the residences of nobles in high position inside the palace. The Weasleys were supposed to be situated there but they refused the offer, not wanting to be neighbors with such money-driven people.

He noticed noble men and women exiting the huge door and easily blending in with the crown in the plaza. _'So nobles can actually go beyond that door.' _He thought sarcastically.

"Ginny!" Ron called, causing the two ladies to look at him.

"What?" replied Ginny.

"Come with me! I just saw a shop where they sell different kinds of sweets and bread!"

Harry giggled, turning Ron and Ginny's attention to him.

"You come with us too Ha—Lily."

Harry paused to think for a moment before answering, "I think I'll walk around for a while until you are done eating."

"Aw." Was all Ron was able to reply. He knew that no matter how much he asked Harry, the young lad would never come with him; he's that stubborn.

"If we get back first we'll wait here, okay?" Ginny told him as she walked towards Ron, who was standing a few feet in front of them.

"Okay." He answered, smiling at them.

Ron and Ginny smiled back and walked away to the shop, leaving Harry behind.

He sighed and decided to just walk around as he said. Everyone in the plaza was dressed in extravagant clothes trying to impress each other in hopes of finding a mate.

Suddenly, a young boy (probably a noble) tugged on Harry's dress. Surprised, he turned his attention to the boy.

"What's wrong?" He asked gently in his womanly voice.

The boy's eyes twinkled in what seemed to be adoration for him. He took a huge breath. "P-please take these flowers!" he said nervously, presenting a bunch of gardenia flowers. _'This flower means you're lovely and secret love... how cute.' _

Harry couldn't help but smile and graciously accepted the flowers, saying "Thank you" as he took them from the boy's shaky hands.

The boy beamed at him and ran excitedly to his mother, who waved at Harry and nodded her head in thanks.

He smiled back at the pair until they walked away, hand in hand. He held the flowers in front of his face, sniffing the sweet scent of the flowers.

'_What an adorable little boy.' _He chuckled.

He looked around the plaza as he wandered around. Everywhere he looked was decorated with fresh flowers for the occasion. People here and there gave and received flowers from their admirers or lovers. Even some kids gave flowers to each other. It was a really joyous festival and he appreciated that.

He ventured off outside the bustling town to find peace. After minutes of walking, he ended up in a place that looked similar to the ruins where he liked but the difference was instead of mountains, it was overlooking the sea. Also it was more open than the other. Flowers also surrounded the place but instead of a wide variety of flowers, it only had one: White lilies.

Downdraft caused the flower petals to lift up in the air, creating a beautiful display of floating white petals. He stood at the edge of the land and threw all the gardenias he was holding, letting the wind carry it; it blew the flowers away from him.

The sound of the flowers rustling made him swiftly turn, only to see a dashing blonde lad. Their eyes locked on each other as their mouths slightly gaped in awe, and their faces flushed.

"Ah.. ah.." Harry panicked, unable to form a single word. His heart was pounding so hard against his chest that it hurt. The blonde looked like a prince out of a storybook. White porcelain skin perfectly complemented his mercurial silver eyes that shone like the moon itself, and pale blonde hair gave his features a gorgeous finish. He was dressed in a simple green long coat over a black shirt adorned with a white cravat pinned in place by a blue oval-shaped brooch, and simple gray pantaloon with knee-high black boots.

He had never seen someone as handsome as the man in front of him.

The blonde took a step closer to him, carefully as though he was approaching a scared rabbit.

Startled, the raven-haired boy flinched as he took a step backward. He brought his hands to his chest in an attempt to calm his pounding heart. There was no more space behind him, seeing as he stood so close at the edge of the cliff; rocky waters with raging waves awaited at the bottom.

* * *

><p>He could tell that the girl was nervous and probably scared by his sudden appearance; she was lightly trembling when he approached her.<p>

'_Such fair beauty.'_ He thought as he stared at the young lass. Piercing green eyes equally stared at him in what seemed to be awe and bewilderment. Draco had never had his heart pound against his chest so violently like this.

He couldn't stomach the silence anymore and spoke, with great caution, "I'm sorry I startled you, I didn't mean to, I—" he paused as the girl opened her mouth to speak.

"No, you don't have to apologize..." she said sheepishly, her face flushed. The girl slowly made her way closer to him, her face graced with a gentle smile that made Draco's face grow hot.

"I'm afraid I must go now..." the girl said. She passed him with a bow and hastily made her way out of the ruins. Draco, not knowing what to do, reacted upon his instinct and ran after the lass.

"Wait!" he yelled. But it was no use as her figure disappeared over the distance. He came to a stop, seeing as it was hopeless to catch up with the fleeing girl. He decided to just go back to the ruins in defeat.

Never in his life had he seen such a beautiful maiden before and _never_ has he froze in front of a girl before, Malfoys don't get nervous. Yet somehow the girl managed to render him speechless. Draco sighed at the thought of never seeing the girl again; after all, he had no clue whether she's a commoner or a noble or a visiting guest from a neighboring kingdom. He can only hope that she's amongst the high-ranking nobles or a princess of a kingdom so that they could perhaps meet again in a ball or something.

"Lilies. She smelled like one."He told himself as he remembered the fleeting moment when the girl passed him. He sat down on the grass, where the girl was just standing moments ago.

The sun was in its highest, casting a blinding ray of light down to earth. Glinting a few feet in front of Draco was a crystal bound by a silver chain. He narrowed his eyes in thought as he crawled over to the spot. _'A necklace?' _he thought, raising the object up to his eye level. It was a really pretty necklace in a shape of a teardrop vial; it contained a small white flower inside that looked like a lily. "Ah!" he exclaimed, "Maybe this belonged to the girl earlier!" A smile crossed his lips at the thought of it, the necklace seemed new and expensive so the girl would probably go looking for it and he happened to have it. Perhaps they would meet again in the near future or better yet, at the festival, right now.

With that in mind, Draco went on his feet and raced towards the city.

oOo

Harry ran as fast as he could to the city, in panic. He didn't know the reason why he was so scared and nervous in the presence of another man. His breathing in pants, Harry finally reached the plaza where the festivities are going on. He paused in his tracks, taking a moment to catch his breath. Why? Why did he run away from him? The man looked like he meant no harm yet he fled from him... That wasn't a very nice thing to do but it has already been done so no use crying over spilled milk. His faced flushed at the thought of the blonde; he was so handsome that Harry's breath was taken away. He sighed in defeat and sat down on the edge of the grand fountain.

He waited for Ginny and Ron to meet him there but there was no sign of them anywhere.

"Hey there, miss. Wanna come and play with us?"

Harry looked up to see a pair of shabby men who was twice his size. He furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance and replied: "Sod off."

"Ohh~ I like 'em feisty." Teased the taller one. Harry's eye twitched.

"Come on miss, we'll show you a good time." Said the other one, grabbing Harry's arm with brute force.

The raven-haired lad was forced to stand, wincing in pain as the man pulled his arm upward.

"Let go of me!" he exclaimed, looking more annoyed than distressed. "Dirty wankers!"

The two glanced at each other and smirked. They enjoyed seeing the young girl's resistance; it gave them quite the urge to do more things to her.

"Let her go!" a familiar voice exclaimed from behind the two. They all shifted their attention towards him and only Harry gasped as he saw the face of his savior.

'_The boy from earlier..._' he thought, letting his thoughts wander to the scene from earlier when he had felt butterflies in his stomach at the sight of the young lad.

"Oh, what are you trying to be? A knight in shining armor?" The two men laughed, one still had his tight grip on Harry.

Draco's face contorted in anger as he caught a glimpse of the girl's distressed look. Something inside him burned in fury which is probably enough to beat the crap out of those two hooligans. "Help." He heard her say with pleading voice; that did it. With a blink of an eye, Draco moved swiftly and fluidly towards the girl's attacker and hit them both with the back of his sword rendering them senseless. Murmurs of people watching grew louder though unbeknownst to the two who was focused on each other.

"Thanks." Harry spoke softly, as he rubbed the sore spot on his arm.

Draco eyed Harry's arm and gritted his teeth at the fact that the girl was hurt. What is this feeling? He had never felt anything like this before, especially to a girl. Why is he feeling so protective towards a stranger he just met?

He reached out to touch the girl's arm and gently stroked the sore spot with his thumb. Harry looked at him in bewilderment. "We should put some ice or cold wet cloth on this." Draco said, looking straight at Harry's eyes. The emerald color of the girl's eyes was intoxicating.

"Perhaps later..." he replied. Harry's heart was beating wildly in his chest as the blonde stranger showed his concern towards his minor injury. In his sixteen years of existence, no stranger has been this close to him. His heart was beating so loudly that he was almost positive that the other lad could hear it over their close distance. A blush crept to his cheeks as the man came even closer to further examine his bruised arm. '_He smells like berries.' _Thought Harry.

Draco flushed at the sight of the blushing maiden and quickly let go of her arm. "Wh-What's your name?" he stammered a little.

"Ha—Lily." He replied immediately, tucking a stray hair behind his ear.

"Lily," the blonde repeated to himself "That name suits you." He said.

Harry's face turned brick red upon hearing such compliment. They both stood in awkward silence. The floor seemed very interesting at the moment for both since they couldn't take their eyes away from it.

"So.. umm.. today's the flower festival." Draco said awkwardly.

"Yeah..." replied Harry shyly.

"Ah!" The blonde exclaimed. He suddenly turned around and ran to the nearest flower stall.

Harry stood by himself in wonder as to what just happened. He peeked through the crowd and saw Draco buying a white rose from a nearby shop.

The blonde ran back as quickly as he can upon paying. He stood in front of Lily and caught his breath for a moment before handing out the flower he bought. "Here! For you!" He said nervously.

The raven-haired lad was taken aback for a moment, although he already saw it coming, it was still a surprise to receive a flower from the blonde. His emerald eyes met the blonde's mercurial ones. Harry smiled and gladly took the flower. "Thank you, that's so nice of you." He told him sweetly.

Draco smiled back, his nervousness fading upon seeing such an angelic smile. All his life he's been ignoring every girls advances; he thought girls could come in later in his life when he's already of age, but now it all changed. "Which family are you from, Lily?" he asked, regaining his cool composure.

"Um.. I'm from the Wea—"

"Lilly!" Ginny yelled from behind him.

Harry turned around to face his friend and was about to ask her what's the matter when she gripped his arm tightly and dragged him away.

"Wait! Ginny!" he exclaimed, feeling panicked at the urgency of the girl; usually when she's in a hurry something's bad is happening or going to happen.

"No time to explain, Mum's calling us." She said quickly, dragging Harry away from the dumbfounded blonde who stood alone wordlessly, his hands outstretched, reaching out to Lily.

The pair disappeared almost immediately in the crowd, leaving no chance for Draco to catch up. Too bad he wasn't able to hear her family name... but at least he got her name. '_And I forgot to tell her mine!' _he exclaimed mentally, cursing himself for his own incompetence. Of all things to forget, why his own name? Well, I guess girls can have those effects on men... speaking of forgetting things, _'The bloody necklace is still with me.' _A playful smirk crossed his lips, '_More reason to find her then.'_

oOo

Displeased, Harry said: "Ginerva Weasley! Would you mind telling me what is happening?" Instead of replying, Ginny kept her mouth closed, aggravating Harry even more. He shook off Ginny's grip and paused in his tracks, causing the redhead to stop as well.

"Harry!" the girl exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

"I will not move from this spot until you tell me what's going on."

The girl looked around, looking for eavesdroppers and only continued when she felt that the coast is clear.

"Who was that man from earlier? Didn't mum and dad tell you to clear off strangers?"

That struck a nerve. "What am I, 5?" He yelled, taking Ginny aback. The ever so calm Harry who rarely gets mad at her was suddenly furious.

"You don't understand anything!" She yelled back.

"That's because you people won't tell me anything!" Harry retorted.

His answer came unexpectedly; normally Harry is extremely reticent about his thoughts. Ginny's eyes widened in response.

Harry realized what he said and things were getting uncomfortable between them. He tried to change the subject to lighten up the atmosphere, "The guy from earlier... he saved me from some thugs. I owe him."

Ginny watched the floor awkwardly, she wasn't used to Harry yelling. She fidgeted as she replied, "Mom's really calling us though... She and Ron are waiting in the carriage."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Another secret. Harry rolled his eyes in annoyance and strode away without waiting for Ginny.

...

"Harry dear, are you alright?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Yes. What happened? Why the sudden change of plans?"

Molly Weasley looked lost, giving Harry another surge of anger that can't be directed to anyone. He bit his lower lip and looked away in annoyance.

"Fine. Never mind, I won't ask anymore."

The woman's face eased as relief flooded in. "Sorry dearest. It's for your own safety." She mumbled. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He mounted the carriage and sat in the corner, trying to isolate himself from the world; he did so by closing his eyes and thinking of the blonde whom he met earlier.

oOo

They rode in silence to the Manor. As soon as the carriage came to a stop, Harry was the first one out and strode to his room, determined to lock himself away.

With a loud bang, Harry closed the door and locked it, ensuring that no one disturbs him. The young lad flung himself to the bed, facing the canopy.

This wasn't the first time it happened. In fact, it has happened so many times that he had lost count of how many. One moment they invite him outside and let him have fun and the next thing he knows, he's being dragged back to the Weasley Manor. It's really getting to his nerves. If they only release him to get dragged back in the midst of his enjoyment then why release him in the first place? If they were to stop him from meeting anyone then they shouldn't have let him out in the first place. Their method was hurting Harry with or without them knowing. He'd rather stay inside for the rest of his miserable life than to receive a taste of what's out there and have it taken away from you as soon as you get to enjoy it. It was cruel.

Near to crying, he wished himself distracted by any other thoughts than that, so he found himself thinking of the young lad he met. The mere thought of him brought a smile to his face. It's unfortunate that he didn't get the chance to ask for his name; but knowing his circumstances, there is a thousand to none chance of ever seeing him again...

His eyes suddenly stung with tears. The thought of not seeing the man he just met hurt him, which was weird because he barely knew him. There was something about the blonde that draws Harry to him, something more than just a mere attraction; it was something _deeper. _But what is it?

'_I want to see him..'. _he thought as he drifted to sleep. It was still afternoon, too early for bedtime but oddly enough, he had no energy left.

oOo

"It's almost Harry's 17th birthday."

"Yes it is."

"What do you reckon we do? You said so earlier that the gem was glowing brightly while you were in town, it's too early for them to meet! Plus, we cannot afford the boy distracted! We need him focused!"

"I am aware of that. That's why I had us leave the town quickly before they found each other."

"Can we really stop them from finding each other? If Harry comes of age it would be hard to restrain him from seeking what he needs! And there's another pressing matter, the boy _might _die if—"

"No! He won't! As long as they don't meet, nothing bad would happen to him! That is why we must prevent him from ever finding his destined one."

"You've seen Lily and James! They conquered all the odds and found each other!"

"We can stop it. As long as we keep a close eye on Harry, we can prevent them from meeting. Plus, the gem will glow if his mate nears, we can always take him away before they find each other."

Mr. Weasley went silent for a moment before continuing. "Do you remember what happened before? If James hadn't died, Lily would still be alive and well! The moment James took his last breath; Lily fell to the floor and died too. Even when they were apart on that moment, their _bond_ continued to work and even though only one was killed, the other died as well! What if the same thing happens to Harry and his destined one even if they don't meet?"

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer for that."

* * *

><p>Draco's body was sprawled on his bed as his thoughts wander off away from the present. All he could think about was Lily, he wanted to meet her again as soon as possible so when he arrived at the castle, he immediately ran to his father, announcing that he wants to wed soon and his father responded almost uninterested. He asked for a ball to be organized inviting all the women of each noble houses, and princesses from neighboring countries. After that, he dismissed his son and left for another meeting.<p>

A grin has been permanently plastered to his face ever since the ball was announced. He could finally tell his father and especially his beloved mother that he has finally found a girl whom he could possibly love.

A flying pillow hit him on the face, causing him to scream in surprise. Not far from his bed was the culprit who was almost laughing his head off.

"You got scared by a pillow!" he mocked as he continued to laugh.

"Ha ha. Very funny, Blaise." The blonde stated with a mock frown. His eyes sparkled with mirth.

Blaise sat down on the edge of his friend's bed. "You seem idiotically happy. What hit you in the head?" he teased, earning a playful punch from the blonde.

"I met a girl."

"Finally." Blaise replied sarcastically.

"Shut up."

The raven-haired lad chuckled at his friend's reaction. Draco rolled his eyes in return and continued, "She's different than any other girl I've ever met."

"Oh speaking of meeting girls, I found a pretty one too at the festival." He started. "I was about to approach her but when I got close to her I suddenly chickened out. Her presence was very intimidating, it felt like I had no right be near her." Blaise smiled wryly.

"That's odd, the resident playboy chickening out? Anyways, what happened next?" Draco gestured for him to continue, suddenly interested in his friend's story; as he momentarily forgot what he was about to tell him.

"Yeah, so I wanted to give her flowers but I got really overwhelmed by what I was feeling so I asked a boy to give it to her for me. He too felt intimidated and bashful but not as much as me." He said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

"What flowers did you give her?"

"Gardenias. Thanks to you I knew the perfect flower with the right meaning."

Draco felt proud upon hearing that statement. He had always loved flowers and it rubbed off on his best friend. "A flower with a double meaning. Nice one Blaise."

"You're lovely and Secret admirer." Blaise continued, "I wonder if she got the message though."

"What if she understood the 'you're lovely' part but misinterpreted the 'secret admirer' as a 'stalker'? Oh that would be precious." The blonde teased before breaking into a fit of laughter.

"No way!" Blaise exclaimed, throwing another pillow at Draco.

"Anyways, it's my turn now."

Blaise nodded.

"Her name's Lily. I met her at the Ruins. I asked my father to arrange a ball inviting all the nobles and princesses so that I could find her."

"Dray, how do you know she's a noble or a princess?"

"I don't. Do you know any family that starts with 'We'?"

"We?"

"Yes."

"Sorry, nothing comes to mind. But I'll research it for you."

"Thanks."

Blaise paused to think as though he remembered something. Draco waited for his friend to speak. Silence hung over the two of them as the raven-haired lad pondered about something.

A couple of seconds later, Blaise spoke; "You said her name was Lily right? "

Draco nodded, curious to hear what his friend was thinking.

"Well, the only Lily I've heard of is the one from the Potter house."

The blonde's eyes widened. There's no way that girl came from that house because...

"But we all know that they are traitors and their whole family has been executed. Not one of them lives to this day. Pity, I've seen them before, all of them were really beautiful, including their son, Harry."

"Blaise." Draco called his tone carrying a warning.

"Oh. Sorry."

"There's a rumor that Harry Potter still lives. And father is furious about it, he wants him dead."

"Wasteful." said Blaise.

Draco shot him a glare.

"What? You know you feel that way too." He said defensively.

The blonde sighed. Yes he felt that way too. In fact, when his father declared that the whole Potter house has been executed something died inside him. He was friends with Harry after all and he favored him above all his playmates, he cried but not in front of his father. His mother, on the other hand, was very understanding and comforted him until he was able to let it go.

But hearing that Harry was still alive gave him a ray of hope that the lad was really still alive. He fought the urge to jump up and down in happiness when the rumor was passed on to him in fear of being punished by his father. It would be really nice if he were the first to find him, that way he could help in protecting his long lost friend...

oOo

"My chest feels tight." Harry cried, clenching his chest as his eyes tear up from the pain. Fred and George looked at each other in worry before helping their little brother. Fred scooped him off his feet while George went ahead inside to inform their mother.

Minutes later every member of the Weasley family has gathered around Harry. Their family doctor said that Harry has no illness whatsoever; so whatever is causing the pain must be psychological. Molly and Arthur exchanged a knowing glance unbeknownst to the rest. The doctor then recommended a full day rest for the young lad, and then excused himself for the day.

Molly and Arthur left not a while after the doctor, leaving their kids to watch over Harry.

oOo

"What happened exactly?" Ginny asked, breaking the silence that hung over them.

Fred and George said in unison: "We don't know,"

"He was just tending the garden as usual when,"

"He just suddenly looked like in pain so we rushed over outside to see what's going on,"

"Then that's when he clenched his chest and started tearing up in pain." The twins stated.

They all cast a worried glance over Harry. This has never happened before and it left all them worried for their adopted brother.

"Well, I'm going to the kitchen to inform the maids that Harry needs a meal." said Ron, looking worried. "Maybe it's because he doesn't eat much."

They all nodded. Ron left the room in a hurry.

Glancing back at Harry, Ginny murmured almost to herself: "Please be alright..."

oOo

"Molly! It's happening!" Arthur Weasley exclaimed as soon as they reached their private quarters.

"We don't know that for sure, Arthur. Calm yourself." replied Molly, trying to tone down her voice.

"It's 5 days to his 17th birthday, I don't think we can keep them apart any longer! He needs his mate or else he will be in constant pain."

"We better summon Sirius and Remus. They were the closest to Lily and James so maybe they'll know what to do."

"Where are they right now?"

"Sirius said that they are in Sabatha. Remus is currently researching about some ancient artifact."

Arthur gasped. "But that's 7 days travel from here! They won't make it for his birthday! What if Harry dies then? Or goes crazy? Or—"

"Calm yourself, I said!" Molly exclaimed, bringing her hand up to her head. _Headache_ she thought.

"I'm sorry, I'm just worried."

"I understand that but it's our decision not to let Harry be with his mate."

"Because we need him focused on his oncoming task." The man sighed, sitting down on the bed.

"Yes, exactly that. Now, I'll be writing a letter to Sirius and Remus and to the others as well that Harry's birthday is coming."

"Molly d—"

"I know, I'll only mention Harry's predicament to Sirius and Remus."

oOo

**_Midnight._**

_Draco found himself in the middle of the woods. He could've sworn that he was just sleeping on his bed a while ago... so this... this must be a dream._

_Out of nowhere, a long white feather gently fell on the ground in front of him. It was glowing. He reached down to pick it up and brought it to his face to examine it._

_'How quaint.' He thought to himself. Never has he seen such a feather before. Somehow he knew that it didn't belong to a bird._

_A rustling sound followed by the sound of crunching leaves caught his attention. He swiftly turned his head to the direction of the noise. There he saw a pair of huge white wings, it belonged to a teen, who appeared to be younger than him. His back was turned to him so that his wings faced the blonde._

_'I need you right now. Please hurry and find me... please..' . the teen pleaded, turning to face Draco. Though in Draco's eyes the teens' face was a blur, still he could tell that he was beautiful._

_'Who are you?' he asked curiously as he took on step closer to the celestial being._

_'You know who I am; please hurry. It hurts.' He cried, tears forming in his eyes._

_He could almost feel the pain from the way he pleaded. Draco's heart throbbed painfully as he felt the need to take the teen in his arms and take away his pain._

_'Where do I find you?' the blonde asked again, taking another step closer._

_The celestial being wept openly as though he was being tormented on the inside; he fell to his knees and clutched his chest. 'Near. I am near.'_

_'Wait for me.'_

_'Hurry!'_

Draco woke up suddenly, panting and covered in cold sweat as he sat upright. His heart was racing from the dream. What was that about? Who was that person? His face was a blur but he seemed really familiar. Their conversation repeated in his mind like painful music. The person sounded distressed and it hurt him to see that person hurt. Something about that dream felt real; no, he can't deny it, _everything_ felt real.

Someone is calling for him and he needs to find that person as soon as possible.

oOo

Pained moans echoed through out Harry's room. Everything was painful. His chest, his head, and his back... _especially _his back. It feels like someone was digging a hole and burying a burning sword on his back.

_My mate, the other half of my soul... I need him._

"Ahh!" he cried as another surge of pain engulfed his body. The door burst open revealing very worried red-haired twins, though Harry was in too much pain to even notice the door opening.

The twins, who were right next-door, woke up from the sound of moaning and decided to investigate the sound. When it became clear that it was from Harry they immediately burst in his room to help their beloved sibling.

Harry was in a bad shape, they decided as they watched Harry curl up from the pain he was feeling. The black-haired lad was covered in sweat even though the room was quite chilly. And it seems like he was faintly glowing. The twins exchanged worried glances before Fred mounted the young lad's bed and grabbed Harry's shoulders in a successful attempt to straighten him up.

George on the other hand, ran out of the room to seek help from their parents, leaving Fred behind to tend to Harry.

"Harry! Wake up!" he exclaimed, lightly shaking the trembling form of the sleeping boy.

Harry's eyes were still tightly shut even though he was conscious but the pain prevented him from opening his eyes.

"I'm dying..." he whimpered as tears escaped his eyes.

"No you're not!" Fred replied curtly. No way he's going to let anything bad happen to Harry.

Harry reached out his hands, inviting Fred to hold him. The red-hair complied and lowered himself enough to let Harry wrap his trembling arms around him. The boy buried his face on his chest. Fred used his free hand to caress Harry's head gently as he balanced himself on top of the pained young lad.

Minutes seemed like hours as Fred willed his brother to return with much needed help. His shirt was already soaking wet with Harry's tears and sweat, it wasn't one bit gross for him, but instead it made his heart clench in pain. His little brother was being tormented by something that he couldn't fight off and that irked him.

"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley screeched in worry as she rushed inside the room towards her two sons on the bed.

Fred sighed in temporary relief. He tried to leave the bed in order to give his mother space but Harry wouldn't release his grip on him; the more he tried to push Harry away, the more his grip tightened.

"Shh. It's alright now, mum's here to help you." Fred cooed over Harry's ear. "It's alright, now let go... I'll be beside you, don't worry."

Harry softly shook his head.

"We're going to stop the pain now so you have to let go."

This time, Harry released Fred. He slowly opened his eyes, which were gleaming in tears and stared at Molly.

"Help me.." he mouthed.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading. Please look forward to the next chapter!<em>

**_*hides face* ... so how was it? good? bad? please tell me ;_;_**

**oO oOo**

**How Harry keeps his 'sponge in place'** ... he keeps it inside the corset :D corsets are tight so he wouldn't really need something to keep it in place.

**Harry is in pain because **... he needs Draco. Oriels will only crave for their mate's presence once they have met and been together enough to familiarize their mates. In this case, they have met when they were children and now they've met again so the need to be with each other intensified like never before.

**! !**

_**(Sorry guys, but I can only understand English and Japanese so if you review in another language I won't be able to understand it..)**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters. And I'm not J.K. Rowling.**_

_**oOo**_

* * *

><p><strong>Please always read the Author's note below because I might announce something important or post answers to your questions :) <strong>

Arthur rushed inside the room, holding a vial containing a white liquid, he hurried to give it to his wife who took it as fast as she can and gestured Fred to raise Harry's up in a sitting position.

"Here darling, drink this. It will ease the pain." She said as she fed Harry the contents of the vial.

The raven-haired lad drank obediently, desperate to relieve himself of the searing pain.

Not long after drinking the potion, the pain disappeared and he submerged to a dreamless slumber.

oOo

Everyone went back to their beds as soon as Harry was tucked in his bed again. Though Molly and Arthur never went back to sleep for the night.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" Molly exclaimed, pacing their room back and forth.

Arthur on the other hand, sat down on the bed and buried his face in his hands.

"This could only mean one thing. He had already met his mate."

"It's too late, Molly! We will have to let them be together." Said Arthur, his expression was grim. This wasn't a part of their plan! Things are going astray quickly and if nothing is done, then the whole 16 years of waiting will be wasted.

"No. Maybe there's another way. I've already sent a letter to Remus and Sirius by the use of wizard mail. It's probably reached them by now."

"We can only hope, Molly... We can only hope." He stated, feeling lost.

"His wings, they are emerging slowly. If my memory serves me right, that means that Harry and his mate had already managed to bond, but weakly."

"If this goes on, he will have his wings fully grown by his birthday." The man said wryly.

Mrs. Weasley walked towards her dresser, opened the drawer and took out a black pouch. She spilled the content on her hand and stared at the glistening oval green gem. "I guess we have no use for this anymore. Might as well return it to Harry. After all, it is his gem in the first place."

"Let's take it to town and have it turned into a necklace. We could give it to him as an apology gift and birthday gift at the same time." Said Mr. Weasley, his face apologetic.

"You're probably right. I will take it to town first thing tomorrow... or rather, later when the sun rises."

"Also, Molly, please go to Snape's apothecary and go get more of the potion we just gave Harry."

His wife looked at him worriedly before nodding. "Should I take the kids out with me? If Harry suffers an attack again and we're not with them... the poor boy would be in so much pain."

Mr. Weasley closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes, you better take them with you."

oOo

"Mummy! Mummy! Mummy!" Ginny exclaimed excitedly as she ran to the dinner table, still wearing her nightclothes.

"What is it sweetheart?" Mrs. Weasley beamed. Motioning for Ginny to come closer to her.

The young lass held out a silver envelope, grinning from excitement.

Molly took the envelope and turned it to see the seal of the Royal Family, Malfoy. She tried her best to restrain the frown that was threatening to show; instead she managed to maintain her motherly smile as she opened the envelope.

Now she understood her daughter's excitement. It was an invitation to the ball written in an elegant handwriting.

~o~

_Greetings!_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been officially invited to the Royal Masquerade tomorrow evening. A mask will be required to enter the palace. _

_Girls are allowed to bring their escorts if desired._

_All the women in your family are __**required**__ to attend. Failure to comply will result in losing your family crest. _

_We are looking forward to seeing you._

_~o~_

Mrs. Weasley almost snorted in irritation but restrained herself from doing so, seeing that her daughter was focused on her, wanting to see a good reaction. She cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention first before she said: "Well, apparently the royal family is having another ball tomorrow evening."

"And we're not going again." Ron interjected before swallowing a big piece of muffin.

"It's your choice. It doesn't say here that _every family member must attend. _It only asks for the women." She said.

Ginny was grinning from ear to ear and it was very obvious why. This time they are _**required**_to attend the ball so their mum absolutely cannot refuse. They rarely go to the royal family's ball because their parents refuse to. Actually, only Percy has been to a Royal ball before, their parent's won't allow them to come. And most of the time they were just forced to show up 'not to raise suspicion' she heard her mom say once when they thought nobody was listening.

"Mum, is Harry required to go as well?" George asked.

Molly turned pale. Of course Harry had to go... he was registered as a female after all. _'Not good.' _

"Mum?" Fred called worriedly.

The woman shook her head gently, letting another smile form on her lips. "Yes darling, Harry is required to go."

"But what if he get's sick again." said Fred. It was more of a statement than a question.

"We'll manage."

Fred rolled his eyes and went back to eating his breakfast.

"By the way mum, where's Dad and Percy?" Ron asked, oblivious to his brother's irritation.

"They were summoned to the court. There's another trial for the poor Greengrass family."

"Oh." Was all he replied for taking another huge bite from his 4th muffin.

Ginny took the letter from her mother and sat down next to her. She looked at the empty seat on her left. "Mum, should I call Harry down for breakfast?"

Fred looked up from his plate and looked at his sister before flicking his eyes away to Harry's usual seat. "I'll go." He said as he stood up. George sensed his irritation and decided not to meddle in; his twin can sort out his emotions in no time, plus he knew that look well: it only shows up when he's really concerned for Harry and no one will be able to fix his mood until he decides that Harry's okay again.

Fred didn't wait for his mother's reply before leaving the dining area. The maid opened the door for him as he proceeded to the hallway.

Minutes later, Fred found himself standing in front of Harry's room. He knocked gently and when no response came, he let himself in.

His heart fluttered at the sight of Harry sleeping peacefully. He silently approached his bed. The red-haired lad crouched down and traced the outline of Harry's rosy pink lips; the sleeping lad flinch ever so lightly at his touch. Fred brought his finger to his lips and kissed it as though he was kissing the young lad's lips.

"Harry." He called. Harry's stirred a bit but didn't wake up, so Fred called his name again, but this time a little louder.

Slowly, Harry's eyes opened, revealing two emerald orbs that made Fred's stomach go through a tickling sensation. He raised his body in a sitting position before turning to face Fred. "Morning." He mumbled hoarsely, his voice strained from crying the night earlier.

Fred watched Harry yawn and stretch his arms with a smile on his face, though unbeknownst to the raven-haired lad.

"Let's go get breakfast." He said, turning to head for the door. Harry nodded behind him and followed, not bothering to fix his hair or change his sleeping clothes.

oOo

"How are you feeling, Harry dear?" Molly asked in her motherly tone. She clicked her fingers and pointed at the nearly empty muffin tray. A maid came rushing to get the tray and a second maid followed, carrying a new batch of freshly baked muffins.

"I'm fine now Mrs.—Aunt." He smiled.

Ginny filled Harry's plate with everything available on the table: Muffins, Eggs, Hams, Sausages, Toasts, and Strawberries. "Eat." She commanded as she placed the plate in front of Harry.

The young lad was about to complain but nodded anyways when he saw the stern look on Ginny's face, "Yes, mother." He replied in a teasing tone, earning a playful glare from the girl.

He graciously ate the food on his plate, forcing himself to finish it when he felt full. Seeing everyone's happy expressions gave him enough motivation to devour everything Ginny placed on his plate. They sat in silence for a while before their mother spoke, "Harry dear, there's a ball we have to attend tomorrow night."

Harry paused from drinking his milk, his expression bemused.

"It is required, so today, you, Ginny and I will go to town to go shopping for shoes, masks and gowns." And by town, she meant the district only accessed by nobles and rich people.

"Is anyone else coming?" the raven-haired lad asked a little too innocently.

"Ugh."

"No way."

"Ew."

Came the boys' replies at the same time.

Ginny laughed. "Boys."

Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes in mock annoyance before chuckling.

oOo

"No, this suits you more, Lily! Come on! Try it!" insisted Ginny, shoving a shimmering aquamarine ball gown to Harry.

"I've already decided on this one, Ginny! Quit bugging me. You still haven't chosen yours yet so move along and let me mind my own business."

"Girls." Mrs. Weasley called. She still needed to swing by the apothecary and the jeweler before going home and her two daughters were taking forever to decide on a gown, and they haven't even got their shoes and masks yet.

"Mum, tell Lily that this," she let down the dress, revealing it's whole structure, "suits her more than _that._"

"No! I said this one goes with my eyes better." He argued.

"Are you blind? Peach doesn't go well with green!"

Well, Ginny's got a point. Molly thought.

"Now now, ladies. I still have a few more things to buy and you two are taking forever to buy your clothes. I will leave you here for not long but by the time I get back I want you finished with hunting for your dresses so we can move along with our day." She said quite strictly.

They were in a high-end dress shop where nobles buy their clothes and they were frequent customers so they were taken to a VIP lounge inside the shop so that they may be able to decide on their clothes in private. Several attendants watched in amusement as the beautiful black-haired girl, Lily, try different dresses and have everything suit her perfectly. Though Ginny, the red-haired one, was also beautiful, there were some dresses that didn't agree with her.

Before Molly left the store, she met with the owner and asked her to help the girls decide on a dress before she returns. The owner, who was an elegantly beautiful and serene lady called Madam Lovegood, smiled and nodded before joining the room with the arguing girls.

"Lovely afternoon, ladies." She greeted sweetly.

The two paused and turned to face her before bowing gracefully and flashing a bright smile. "Good afternoon to you as well, Madam Lovegood." They said in unison.

"I see that you are having a hard time deciding on your dresses."

They both nodded.

Madam Lovegood held out her hand to Ginny, asking for the aquamarine dress on her hand. The red-haired girl handed it to her.

"This," she said, eyeing the dress. "Suits you more, Ms. Ginny."

Harry shot her a glare that says _'Told you so."_ The silent message came across Ginny clearly and gave out a huff in annoyance. Of course it was more on the playful side.

"And that, Ms. Lily," the blonde continued, "really doesn't go well with the color of your eyes."

Now it was Ginny's turn to give Harry the "_I told you so" _look.

Harry rolled his eyes in fake sass.

Madam Lovegood caught their short exchanged and shook her head, smiling.

"I presume you are going to the Royal Masquerade as well?"

"Yes." They both replied in unison again.

Madam Lovegood turned to one of her assistants and said, "Please go get the dress."

The assistant looked confused for a moment, "_That _one?"

"Yes, now if you please."

"Right away milady." The assistant bowed, running along to fetch the dress.

"Madam Lovegood, where is Luna?" asked Ginny as the woman handed her the aquamarine dress.

"She is out with her friend Mr. Longbottom." She replied.

"Where to?"

"I believe she mentioned something about _creating_ a mask. Maybe they are at the park gathering flowers."

"Has she picked a dress yet?" Harry suddenly asked and then immediately felt stupid. Of course she already has, for heaven's sake they own a bloody dress emporium!

"She made her own." Madam Lovegood replied, chuckling.

Madam Lovegood asked Ginny to change into the aquamarine dress then turned to one of her assistants to assist Ginny. As Ginny was directed to the dressing room by the assistant, Lily and her was left alone in the white room full of colorful dresses.

"Ms. Lily, if you may please sit down for a moment while waiting for your dress."

Lily nodded wordlessly and sat down on the midnight blue long seat.

The blonde hummed to herself and browsed through the dresses on the rack. "You have become more beautiful than the last time I saw you." She said dreamily.

Harry felt his face flush from the compliment. "You have too." He replied awkwardly.

"Thank you, darling." She continued, facing Lily. "Something changed in you. As you know, my family comes from the magical heritage. We creatures with magic can sense the growing power inside you. Your inner form is changing."

Harry looked at her incredulously, searching for an indication that she's joking, but she looked as serious as her tone.

"I don't understand." He caught himself saying.

"You posses magic. But not an ordinary one, I can sense it. You are no ordinary person, my dear."

"But—"

"Ah! It's here. Come look Ms. Lily." Madam Lovegood exclaimed excitedly, cutting off what Harry was saying

She approached her assistant who was carrying a light blue dress. Harry couldn't see the design because it hung over the assistant's arm. Madam Lovegood seemed to glow in mixed happiness and excitement. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second before Madam Lovegood examined his profile. She seemed very ecstatic about Harry fitting her dress.

The blonde took the dress from the assistant and shooed her away nicely. The assistant bowed and disappeared to the front of the shop where other guests are looking at the dresses.

"Now, let us go to my office and you can change there." Madam Lovegood stated. If Harry were paying close attention to the woman, he would've seen her sly grin.

* * *

><p>Mrs. Weasley left the high district for the town where regular citizens shop. She headed straight for the jewel shop first.<p>

The jewel maker named William welcomed her with his usual elderly smile.

"Ah, Lady Weasley, how nice to see you again." He bowed.

"Oh Willy, no need for that stiffness." She laughed.

"Force of habit." He laughed wryly. "How may I help you today?"

Molly reached for her purse and took out a small black pouch. She handed over to William to let him examine it.

William's eyes widened in surprise the moment the green gem fell on his hand. His breath was taken away by the sheer beauty of the object but more over, from where it came from.

"This is a—"

"Yes it is."

"I can't believe it..." The old man stared at the gem, bewildered by it. "How in the world did you get your hands on this precious item?"

Mrs. Weasley just smiled at him.

"An Oriel's birth gem. As rare as seeing it's owner." Suddenly, William furrowed his eyebrows, as he looked at Molly Weasley eye to eye. "Molly, you must know that killing an Oriel will bring forth a catastrophe that lasts a full decade."

"I know that, William. I didn't kill any Oriels do not worry." She said, changing her tone to a calmer one. "That gem belongs to the _white_ _flower._

"The_ white flower_? You mean Potter's son—"

"We do not speak his name William."

"Oh. It's going to bloom soon isn't it?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded, her eyes twinkling.

"17 years of waiting."

The red-haired woman nodded again. "Yes, William. It's almost time."

She cleared her throat before continuing, "Anyways, let's get down to business. I need you to turn that thing into the most beautiful necklace you have ever made." She beamed.

The old man chuckled in response. "It will look like it's made for an Oriel once I'm done!"

oOo

"How did you know!" Harry exclaimed as he tried his best to cover up his body. Madam Lovegood stripped him off his dress and wig the moment they entered her office. Of course, it caught him off guard and rendered him defenseless from the woman's attack.

Right now, the blonde was grinning proudly at her job well done. In front of her was a _very_ naked boy, flushed and shocked.

"Harry, you cannot fool a pure-blooded Veela with simple disguises." She guffawed.

"A Veela?" Harry screeched. Veelas are rare magical creatures that entice everyone who sees them. His Uncle Remus taught him about the basic information regarding Veelas and there was one thing that stuck to his mind: When Veelas are angry, they turn into bird heads with scaly wings and they can throw fire balls with their hands.

His face paled at the thought of the lovely Madam Lovegood turning into some kind of monster bird.

"Do not worry young one, Veelas are not as vicious as the books claim." She chuckled, amused at the scared look on Harry's beautiful face.

"B-b-b-but you are... why are you not.. why am I not down on my knees begging you to keep me or saying that I invented something that enables humans to fly? Or something impossible like that!" he babbled loudly, causing the blonde to laugh harder.

"Because this is not my true form. I am currently using several charms to hide my true appearance." She said cheerfully. "I could bring them down for you."

Before Harry could even react, a bright white light engulfed Madam Lovegood, momentarily blinding Harry. The light disappeared, leaving behind a woman with white blonde hair, blue eyes and with talons as nails. She was breathtakingly beautiful. If her human form was lovely, her true form was a thousand times more gorgeous than the other.

"So?" she spoke in a different voice; her voice was unexplainably enticing. "How do I look?"

"Beautiful." Was all Harry was able to reply.

The Veela started dancing gracefully in front of Harry as though she was trying to see if the boy was going to fall for her charms. Usually it only took her one spin to have all the men drooling and begging for her attention, but it seemed as though in Harry's case, it would take a year of dancing to finally have him fall for her charm.

Harry appeared to have realized that nothing was his uncle said was happening to him. He gave the Veela a questioning look and then it stopped dancing. "Why am I not affected by your allure?" he asked, completely forgetting that he's naked.

Madam Lovegood approached Harry, stopping a few feet in front of the young lad. She was at least 3 feet taller than him so she had to look down in order to stare at the boy's eyes.

Unknown to Harry, his eyes were shining like a million stars were captured inside it. The Veela gasped softly before breaking away their eye contact. "It seems that I am more attracted to your allure that you are attracted to mine." She purred. "You are not affected by my powers because you are far superior than a Veela. It means Veela powers cannot affect you for you are much more powerful than we are." She said as though it was the most natural thing to say to a confused boy.

"What do you mean?"

"You are special. I have met your mother before, and her powers overwhelmed me. It was hard to stand in her presence."

"I still don't understand."

"You are not human, or at least half of you isn't, and I must say that I am glad for that because if you were a pureblood like your mother, I wouldn't have been able to stand looking at your bare body."

Harry grew even more confused and Madam Lovegood had taken notice. She decided to stop pressing on the subject and transformed back into her human form in a blink of an eye. She took several steps back, widening the space between her and the boy.

"I will keep your secret, _Harry._ Yes, I have known, even though it was hard to be with your mother without turning submissive, I was her friend and I knew both of you well. Lady Weasley had not known my ties with the Potter family nor my being a Veela so it's no wonder she has never mentioned me to you and vise versa. Only now that I sense your full powers awakening am I convinced that it is time for me to reveal myself to you and offer you my friendship." She beamed. "Now, enough with the chit-chat your mother might be back sooner so let's hurry up and try this lovely dress!"

Harry could only gape at her nonchalant-ness.

oOo

"How's the brat?" was the way Severus Snape greeted her when she entered their apothecary. She smiled gently and replied,

"He's doing fine. Also getting lovelier by the minute."

Molly could've sworn that she saw a hint of smile on Severus' face for a brief moment before it turned into his usual frown again.

"I assume that you are here for another one of that potion?" he said.

"Yes, Severus and also, I am here to remind you that—"

"It's almost the brat's 17th birthday and I have to go to your Mansion and introduce myself to the brat as his mother's good friend." Severus continued for the woman.

"And his father's childhood friend." Mrs. Weasley added.

Severus snorted as a reply. "Wait here, I'll go get the brat's potion."

"Please do."

Several minutes later, Severus appeared from the door behind the counter with four vials containing the same white liquid that was given to Harry the night earlier. He placed it on top of the counter and conjured a paper bag without the use of his wand.

"Here, take it. You must keep in mind that you can only let him drink that when he's in pain, if not, he will suffer gruesome consequences."

"I'll keep that in mind. How much?"

"None." He said sternly. "Now, run along to the brat."

Molly smiled, "Thank you, Severus."

oOo

Harry looked at himself on the mirror inside Madam Lovegood's office and saw himself wearing an off-shoulder light blue dress with an asymmetrical-cut skirt. The back reached his ankles, gradually going up until the front just reaches four inches above his knee. He wears a partially buttoned white, button down dress over it with blue lining. (check the link below for the photo)

He looked astonishing, he decided. Madam Lovegood tied his wig—or rather—hair into a high ponytail using pearls as a decoration. The dress was beautiful beyond belief and he couldn't help but to stare longer at his reflection.

Madam Lovegood made him discard his corset because she claimed that it gets in the way of the dress and also she had him wear _panties_ instead of the usual undergarment he wore. His face turned brick red when Madam Lovegood revealed the pink underwear, it was so.. _small and shamelessly bare,_ and though hard to admit, he found the ruffles a little bit cute.

"This dress was made for an angel." Madam Lovegood claimed with a serene smile on her face as she stared at Harry's form from behind. She heard Harry gasp softly as though he couldn't help but agree.

"I have never seen anything as magnificent as this, Madam Lovegood."

"Of course you haven't" The blonde smiled smugly. "Now, you have found the perfect dress to wear to the ball. But Lily, you have to promise me something."

"Whatever it is, Madam."

The blonde's gaze fell to his shoes. "You shall not wear those hideous pair of shoes with my magnificent creation."

Harry blinked a couple of times before laughing along with the Elder woman.

...

Moments later, Harry and Madam Lovegood emerged from the office and went back to the VIP lounge to find Ginny in the aquamarine dress waiting for their return.

Ginny gaped at the sight of Harry wearing his light blue dress. She wanted to compliment her best friend but no words came out of her gaping mouth.

The assistant had the same reaction, but her mouth was covered with both her hands unlike Ginny who gaped openly.

The other assistant who brought in the dress appeared to be in shock as well. They knew the dress was mind-blowing but they never imagined that it would be mind-blowing beyond comprehension.

"..Stunning.." Ginny muttered.

"Doesn't she look angelic?" The blonde beamed, freeing her assistants from their trance.

"Yes!" They both said in unison as they paced to the raven-haired lass. "Stunning!" "Beautiful!" "Amazing!" "Breathtaking!" they both said excitedly as they circled Lily in awe.

"Now now, Ladies."

One assistant lifted her hands to touch Harry's shoulder, but when her skin came in contact with the younger one, a jolt of electricity washed over her hand and traveled to her body causing her to flinch away from the girl.

"What's wrong?" The other assistant asked.

"Nothing." She replied whilst cradling her hand.

Madam Lovegood clearly saw what happened and eyed Harry cautiously. _'He has found his mate. No one of the opposite sex may be able to touch him without feeling pain.' _She noted.

"You look beautiful Ginny." Said Harry, grinning widely at his best friend.

"You too Lily." She replied with a blush on her face.

Madam Lovegood walked beside Harry and bent down so that her lips were in the same level as Harry's ears and whispered to him: "I am your ally, Harry. Do not forget."

...

Not long after, Mrs. Weasley came back for them and was amazed when she saw her two lovely girls dressed in stunning dresses. They changed into their original dresses, paid for the clothes they bought and left to buy the rest of the accessories they needed for the ball.

Mrs. Weasley took them to the usual shoe store they visit often. Ginny and Harry showed the owner their dresses and she immediately knew which shoe suited their dress. She gave Ginny a pair of beautiful light blue 2-inches shoes adorned on the center with an elegantly fanned-cream white satin cloth that had a miniature red rose in the middle.

While he gave Harry an unusual opened white shoes that had lots of interconnecting strings to keep it in place on his feet. There were two long thin strings on each side and the owner showed them exactly how it's worn. It took a little while for her to finish lacing it upwards around Harry's slender legs in a crisscross pattern. It looked beautiful and it really went along with his dress they decided to buy the two shoes they were shown, left the shop and moved on to their next itinerary.

It only took them a couple of minutes to pick out their masks; Harry's was a white masks that is held by a stick and only covered the upper half of his face. The upper edge of the mask was lined with a night blue lining with mini crystals that made it sparkle, on the right corner was a long pure white feather sticking up. The mask was simple yet elegant. Ginny's matched the color of her dress, it was like his, only covering the upper half of the face and it glittered like Ginny's dress as well.

After a long day of shopping, they returned to their mansion in a very tired state.

* * *

><p>Draco smiled to himself as he soaked his body in a berry-scented water. Tonight was the ball he asked his father to arrange and for some reason he was <em>very<em> sure that Lily will come.

But there was something that bothered him so much. His dream the night before haunted him day and night. He couldn't help but feel empty inside whenever he thought of the crying young lad. He was certain that it wasn't just a dream because, well, communicating through dreams wasn't a rare occurrence.

The main question was, who is it and why did he need Draco to find him? Was he supposed to help some celestial being trapped in the world of humans?

oOo

"It's getting worse." Arthur murmured as he fell on their bed, tired from sedating Harry. "2 more days before his powers fully awaken, by the time that happens and his mate is nowhere near him, he'll perish... or worse, die."

"I still don't know when and where he met his mate... do you reckon it's one of our children?" Molly asked hesitantly.

"I don't think so, Molly. If they are then Harry wouldn't be in constant pain."

Molly nodded in acknowledgement.

They both sighed in exhaustion.

_**Earlier...**_

"_Hurts... help!" Harry whimpered. Fred was the first one to find him crumpled on the bathroom floor after taking a bath. His heart dropped to his stomach when he heard Harry's cries._

_The red-haired lad immediately lifted Harry up and carried him to his bed, not caring if the younger lad in his arms were slightly wet and completely naked._

"_Please tell me what's wrong with you." Fred pleaded, his eyes brimming with hot tears in worry as he kneeled on the floor beside Harry's bed and held his little brother's hand to his cheeks._

_Harry was unresponsive, instead he continued to wail from the pain he was feeling. Fred felt extremely helpless and just cried along with the boy._

_Meanwhile,_

_George was looking for his twin who was missing from their room. He investigated the kitchen for any sign of his twin but got no results, so he went to the next place he knew Fred liked to visit; Harry's room._

_George stood in front of Harry's slightly ajar door, frozen in place, as he peeked inside the room. Fred was holding Harry's hand and whispering words to him. His twin looked sorrowful and helpless in front Harry, who was writhing in pain—writhing in pain! He was having another attack again! George stammered back and ran as fast as he could to their mother._

_..._

_Molly had Harry swallow the potion again to stop the pain. She asked her sons to leave her alone with Harry for a while. Fred was reluctant to comply with her order but after a lot of reassuring that Harry will be fine, Fred finally left the room._

_Molly pursed her lips at the state of her adopted son. He was covered in sweat and his eyebrows were furrowed as though he was still in pain._

_She didn't know if this everyday pain was normal for an Oriel since she doesn't have any real experience with a celestial being before. All Molly knew that if an Oriel is to be separated from his mate after meeting, he wouldn't be able to stand it for long. What made her angry was the fact that Harry met his mate without her knowing whom, when or where it happened. She lifted Harry's limp body in a sitting position and then examined his back._

_Her eyes widened at the sight of Harry's back. It was glowing right where his wings would sprout. The realization that the young lad was about to have his wings slightly frightened her even though she had known this was coming; it scared her not to know how she's going to explain this to her family. Also, she had no idea how to hide Harry's wings. Lily could do it but she claimed that an Oriel has to be thought by an elder to know basic things they had to do to fit in._

oOo

"You gave us quite a fright there, Harry. Are you sure you can go to the ball tonight?" asked Fred as he playfully slung an arm around Harry's shoulder.

George positioned himself on the other side of Harry and poked the raven-haired lad's cheeks playfully. "Yeah lad, shouldn't you stay? You know, to keep you safe and all. If you have another attack tonight then it would be hard for mum and Ginny."

Harry, who was sandwiched between the twins, was silently fuming at the position he was in. They were currently standing in the middle of a hallway to the dining room. The twins caught him walking and suddenly ambushed him, leading to his current state.

"Nothing will happen! If you're so worried then you should come too!" he answered, struggling to get out of the twin's grasp.

"You need to do"

"More than that"

"If you want to escape from us."

The twins chuckled and shifted their bodies so that George was behind Harry and Fred was pressed in front of him, completely capturing the youngster between them. Fred encircled his arms around Harry's waist and closed their distance to the point that he could almost feel all of Harry's being. George wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulder and captured him in a tight squeeze.

"We can't go." Fred purred on Harry's ear.

"Only women are allowed." George continued, mimicking what his brother did.

Harry was blushing madly. He was used to the twins sexual harassments (as he liked to call it) but still, doing it like this is very.. well, _sexy _in a completely twisted way. "N-no! it says on the invitation that we can have escorts." He stammered as he tried to push Fred away.

The twins chuckled in unison. Harry gave them a questioning look.

"We didn't prepare." They said together.

"Okay! Okay! I get it! Now let me go! I want to eat!" Harry screeched, as he tried to wiggle his way out. He was getting desperate as Fred's hand travel dangerously close to his bum.

George felt his twin's hand traveling downwards. His lips curved into a smirk as he playfully nipped Harry's earlobe causing the younger lad to moan lightly in surprise. "Play with us tonight, Harry." Fred purred on his other ear as George continued to tease the other.

Harry's face was now brick red. His legs were turning into jelly, getting closer to giving in as seconds pass by.

"L-Let me go." He said again, his voice a little bit husky; he prayed that the perverted twins didn't catch it.

"Let go of Harry, you perverts!" Ginny exclaimed, running down the hall to the three.

"Woah, calm down little sister." Fred said, peeking over Harry's head.

George turned his body slightly to see his little sister. "We're just expressing our love to him."

"Right Harry?" they asked in unison.

"No! Ginny, get them off me!" Harry cried.

The twins grinned and parted from Harry before Ginny could reach them. They swiftly ran past the young girl and dashed off to where Ginny came from. "See yah Harry!" They both called out before completely vanishing behind the door.

"Perverts!" Ginny yelled before turning to Harry who was still as red as a rose. "Are you ok?" she asked worriedly.

"Y-yes. I just feel a little bit violated." He said, giggling.

Ginny let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head. "You shouldn't let them do that to you."

"Even if I didn't want to they'd still do it you know. Such kinky bastards those two are."

"Harry!"

"What?"

"Where did you learn such a vulgar word? If mum hears you saying things like that God knows what will happen."

Harry laughed. "I don't live in a cave, Ginny and I happen to venture off to town once in a while enough to hear words like that."

"Hmph. Anyways, it is an hour past lunch, you should eat before getting ready for the ball."

"I was on my way to do that when the twins caught me. Thanks for saving me by the way."

"Now what are you waiting for! Go on, hurry up and eat." Said Ginny, giving him a light push.

"Alright." _She does sound a bit like Mrs. Weasley. _He chuckled as he made his way to the dining room. Ginny went back to the direction where she came from and where the twins ran off.

...

Harry was eating his delicious bowl of fruits for breakfast when one of the maids interrupted him to present a letter, which was on a silver tray with a red cushion. He had always thought that the way their letters were delivered was too extravagant for just a letter. He took the letter and thanked the maid before turning the letter to see who it came from:

_Mrs. Lovegood_

He hurriedly opened the letter and read the contents,

_Lily dear,_

_It would be such a wonderful honor for me to prepare you for the Royal Ball tonight. I want to see first hand how beautiful you would look on such a stunning dress with your hair all properly arranged and your face enhanced._

_If you would only give me the permission to come in your home and let me do my _magic _for you, I will be eternally grateful for it._

_Sincerely, Gabrielle_

_P.S. Please send me back a letter of your response as soon as you can. The envelope has been enchanted to deliver the letter you put inside directly to me._

The content made Harry smile brightly. He felt excited at the idea of Mrs. Lovegood, one of the most beautiful and stylish women in the kingdom offered to help him look pretty for the ball. Though the '_magic' _bit made him a little nervous, he didn't exactly know what Veelas were capable of but he was sure that Mrs. Lovegood would do no harm to him.

He stood up and took off with the letter, leaving behind his half-eaten breakfast.

...

"So... would you let her?" Harry asked awkwardly, fidgeting.

Mrs. Weasley smiled warmly at him, "Of course darling. We cannot possibly reject Madam Lovegood! But Harry dear, do not forget to change into a dress and put on your wig alright? You may only wear male clothes when there are no visitors at home."

Harry brightened up. He couldn't wait to tell the Veela so he hurriedly gave Mrs. Weasley a peck on the cheek and dashed off to his room with the letter to send his reply.

The young lad immediately sat on the chair in front of his desk and hurriedly wrote his reply:

_Madam Lovegood,_

_Yes! That would be absolutely perfect! You may come by anytime, I will inform the guards about your arrival._

_Love, Lily_

oOo

Not much later after Harry sent his reply, the blonde appeared on their doorstep. The maids announced her arrival and were baffled when they didn't see a carriage. No one from town could've walked all the way here that fast.

Harry heard their muttering as he made his way to the main entrance of the mansion and noticed it. He mentally took a note to ask Madam Lovegood about it.

The young lad greeted Madam Lovegood and led her to his room so they could get started. They both sat down on the couch inside Harry's room; in front was a low coffee table, which already had tea and biscuits, prepared even before they got there.

The Veela kept silent as she took in Harry's room. It reminded her of the Potter Mansion and she couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic and sad. She used to visit their house a lot.

"Madam Lovegood, may I ask you something?" Harry inquired, snapping the blonde out of her daze.

"Sure, Harry. And no need to be formal when we're alone, please by all means, call me Gabrielle. " She replied.

Harry nodded and asked the question he's been itching to ask since she appeared right in front of their doorstep—without being noticed by the guards manning the gate as he heard from the chattering maids. "How did you get here?"

"Oh, I flew here of course." She replied as though it was the most natural thing to answer.

The young lad openly gaped at her. _Flew? _He repeated in his mind.

"Didn't your—Uncle Remus, was it? Taught you that Veelas could sprout wings and fly?"

"He did, but I didn't expect you to... I mean, the maids were talking about it.. that they didn't any carriages around so they were baffled about it."

Gabrielle looked thoughtful for a moment. "Their confusion didn't occur to me as I made my way here. I was just so exited to see you again." She giggled.

Harry mentally sighed and then smiled at the older woman. "Please don't raise suspicions about your real identity."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind." She continued; eyeing Harry as she spoke, "Has your back been hurting?"

"Yes, a bit... how did you know?" Harry asked warily.

Gabrielle only hummed. Okay so she didn't come here to just merely dress up Harry, she had an agenda coming here. She wanted to know about how the young lad was coping with his powers. Gabrielle knew that Oriels needed their elders to teach them basic knowledge about their powers and the changes that will occur. It's the same, as with the Veelas, they need the guidance of an elder to survive. Harry was all alone and unaware of what he is. She knew that she was the closest to an elder Harry could get so she decided to take on that role as best as she can and now's the time to start helping the young Oriel; though she couldn't reveal to him the he's an Oriel, no, not right now.

"So tell me Harry, are you in love with someone?" she teased. Looking as though she never asked the boy that weird question.

Harry wanted to smack his face with his palm but he suppressed the urge to do so as his mind drifted to the blonde he met at the flower festival. His cheeks flushed and his lips curved into a shy smile, though he was unaware of it. This was all the proof Gabrielle Lovegood needed to confirm her suspicions about Harry's mate. She was really relieved that he already had met his mate before his 17th birthday.

"I'll take that as a yes!" she squealed, causing Harry to wake up from his daydream. "Who is it? I insist you tell me!"

Harry's face grew hotter. He cleared his throat before replying, "I don't really know..."

"You don't know what?"

"His name."

"Why?"

"I forgot to ask him.."

Apparently, Gabrielle found it very amusing seeing as she was already laughing her head off. Harry covered his face with his hands in embarrassment as the blonde continued to laugh.

"Gods Harry, I bet you 100 galleons you forgot to ask him since you were very busy staring at him and dreaming about having him as a lover who would shag you every night." She stated as she laughed.

Harry's eyes widened and his hands fell to his lap at the woman's bold statement; his face couldn't get any redder at the moment. "No.." he muttered, "That's not it!"

He never expected that the Madam Lovegood could openly say such—such embarrassing things out loud whilst laughing oh so ungracefully. Really, the woman was full of bloody surprises.

"No need to be shy around me, dear! All of us go through that." She teased, still laughing.

Harry shook his head and sighed in defeat.

* * *

><p><strong>Question #1: <strong>Lucius killed Harry's parents, but why? Why isn't Harry being raised by Sirius?

**Answer:** _All your questions will be answered in the future chapters, please bear with me here. So far, there are only 5 chapters published so it's safe to say that we're still not even half way through the story. Do not worry, I will explain everything in the future chapters._

_**Please don't forget to leave a lovely review or a constructive criticism because they really get me going :)**_

_Thank you very much._

_**http(colon)(slash)(slash) /src/jpg/1007/chobits_ **_


	3. Chapter 3

Edited 4/12/12

**! !**

_**In this chapter, Draco and Harry will switch point of views from time to time so please don't be confused.**_

_**Sorry to have kept you waiting for Harry and Draco's lovey-dovey moment! So now, I present you one of my favorite chapters!~ Enjoy :D**_

**Ooo Answers to your questions down below~ ooO**

Usual Disclaimer applied.

* * *

><p>oOo<p>

"So the serene, graceful Madam Lovegood was just a façade?" Harry asked with a raised brow.

"Not really." Gabrielle replied as she rummaged through Harry's jewelries.

"What do you mean?"

"I need to maintain good reputation seeing as I am a noblewoman and a shop owner. Both sides of me—the quirky and the graceful—are the same but I choose which one I will show the public, I'm not pretending to be who I'm not, I'm just letting people see one side of me, if not all." She replied simply. She opened Harry's 3rd jewelry box and examined all the jewels inside in hope to find the perfect match for the dress.

Harry just sat on his bed, watching the Veela search all his jewelries. Gabrielle had him discard all his clothes again until he was completely naked, but this time she had him wear a robe. After their embarrassing talk earlier, the blonde sent him to the bath as she prepared all the necessary tools needed for Harry's dress up.

"Gabrielle, what about Luna?"

"What about my daughter?"

"Who's going to dress her up?"

The woman paused and turned to him, her face was graced with a smile. "Luna is very capable of dressing herself up without the help of others. In fact, she prefers it that way."

"Oh. What about you?"

"Do I look like I need more beautification?" she asked with a mock glare.

Harry shook his head furiously in fear of being burned alive.

The woman's expression turned into a playful smirk that made her look 10 years younger. "Good, now let's have you ready. We only have a few hours before the ball."

oOo

"Draco! Draco! Draco! Did you hear?" Blaise yelled as he barged in to Draco's room. Draco was sitting on the couch, wearing only a thin robe; he looked like he just finished bathing because his hair had dews on them.

"No, I haven't and I don't think I can anymore." He replied sarcastically, closing the book he was reading.

"Ha ha." Blaise mocked as he rolled his eyes. "Listen you git, Princess Hermione is here!"

"What? Why?"

"Dunno. Think she's going to the ball tonight. Your father personally invited her."

Draco raised an eyebrow in suspicion. This doesn't sound good...

"Why did he invite her?"

Blaise shrugged in response.

oOo

"And there!" Gabrielle squealed happily as she put on the last of the ornament on Harry's princess-styled hair. "You look absolutely breathtaking, Lily!"

They both stood in front of Harry's full body mirror so he can see his whole features. Now he understood what the Veela meant by "use my magic on you," Gabrielle casted a glamour on his chest so that it appears as though he had real breasts instead of fake ones because the off shoulder dress he was wearing was a bit revealing on the chest area. Gabrielle noticed that Harry was eyeing his fake breasts and was grinning teasingly behind the young lad.

The Veela's smile was so contagious that Harry couldn't help but smile and feel giddy. He wasn't particularly excited about the ball; he was excited because Gabrielle was excited. During the few hours they spent together he became fond of her. The Veela was real and there was no hint of pretention whatsoever, she genuinely cared for him. A smile crossed his lips as he wondered if this is how it feels like to have a loving mother. Of course, Mrs. Weasley cared for him as her own son but somehow it felt like she was keeping something from him. He liked Gabrielle's honesty and realness towards him.

Gabrielle seemed to have read his thoughts as she moved closer to lock him in a loving embrace. Harry's shoulder stiffened but relaxed when the Veela's warmth traveled to him.

"Remember that I'll always be here for you, sweetheart. I'll watch over you in your mother's place."

He couldn't see Gabrielle's expression at the moment but he was certain that the older lady was smiling warmly at him. He smiled back and snuggled closer to the blonde.

"Why?"

"Because I like Harry Potter."

Her response was simple but it was enough for Harry. He hummed in reply. The blonde gently released Harry and gave him a kiss on the forehead, completely warming the young lad's heart.

"Are we ready?" she beamed, examining Harry from head to toe.

"Still not wearing my shoes."

"Oh. Yeah right, shoes."

...

Harry's shoes was supposed to be hard to put on but it only took the Veela a wave of her hand to magically command the footwear to tie itself on the young lad's legs like how it's supposed to be.

"Très Belle!" Gabrielle exclaimed in adoration. For the nth time, she eyed Harry's—or rather, Lily's figure and saw perfection. Really, it's hard not to envy Oriels for their beauty and powers.

oOo

"Wow..." Fred gaped. There, in front of him was an angel... or at least someone that perfectly resembles one. Bloody hell he didn't know that a heart could pound this hard.

"You're going to swallow a bug, big brother." Ginny teased, elbowing her gaping sibling.

"Wow doesn't even cut it." George said, leaning in on Fred's shoulder. "Look at Ronnikins over there... I think he just fell in love with Lily."

Fred wanted to shoot Ron a teasing look but he was unable to tear his eyes away from Lily who was currently sitting on the couch while chatting happily with Madam Lovegood. They're crouched hidden behind the tall indoor plants their mother placed in their spacious living room. The siblings were near enough to see Lily and Madam Lovegood, but far enough for them to be able to converse in a hush without being heard.

As to why they decided to sneak around like a thief was beyond Fred, it was Ginny's and Ron's suggestions so it had nothing to do with him. Right now all he cared about was taking in whatever Lily's loveliness has to offer.

"Shut it George. Take a look at Fred first before you tell me such things." Ron hissed.

"Ron's right." Ginny chuckled, giving teasing looks to her brother.

Fred turned to look at his twin who was snickering the best he can. "Quit it, they're gonna see us!"

Fred's warning came too late as both Lily and Madam Lovegood was standing right in front of the plants they were hiding behind and gazed at their crouched forms amusingly.

"And why may I ask, are you sneaking around as though you do not belong in this mansion?" Madam Lovegood inquired sweetly.

Harry's shoulders shook with mirth and as the Weasley siblings scrambled up to their feet in both surprise and panic. It was as though they were caught doing naughty things by their mother, but it's even better because it was Madam Lovegood who was hovering over them with an expression of what seemed to be a masked amusement. If he didn't know the Veela better, he wouldn't have seen that she was having a hard time controlling herself from bursting out in laughter.

"In our defense we were just dragged here by those two!" Fred and George exclaimed in unison, pointing their finger at Ginny and Ron.

"Lies!" the two replied immediately.

And that's when the bickering started. The Weasleys seem to have forgotten their presence and completely immersed themselves in their own little world of arguments. Harry had to clear his throat loudly and call out to them.

They swiftly turned their head to the two and their faces flushed in embarrassment as they remembered whose' presence they were in.

"Manners, Manners." Harry said in mock disappointment but the other didn't seem to catch it, they shrunk back at Harry's words.

"So who started it?" Gabrielle inquired, her amusement unwavering. There was really nothing wrong with what they were doing but their reactions were just too precious.

Ginny and the twins swiftly pointed their fingers at Ron, and Ron nodded almost enthusiastically. Harry snickered knowing all too well that Gabrielle was using her allure to play with the siblings.

The blonde snorted ungracefully, snapping everyone out of their daze.

"Uh.. err.. we.. we weren't.. um.. it's not like we meant any harm.. we were just wondering how..." Rom stammered as cold sweat covered his paling forehead.

"How you were able to converse with our young Lily with such familiarity," said George.

"Since we've never seen Lily talk like that with someone outside our family." Fred finished.

"I see." Madam Lovegood said whilst nodding her head in understanding. "Let's just say that having a woman to woman bonding time builds trust and familiarity." She said playfully with a wink.

From behind them, the arch-door banged open, revealing an irritated Molly Weasley. "Children! What are you doing behind those plants?" she yelled from the door. She paced to the living room, pausing in front of her children and placed her hands on her hips. "You are not up to another mischief again now are you? Madam Lovegood is here with Lily right now so you should behave the best you can!"

"Erm... mum, they're just beside you." Fred chuckled as their mother, whose sole attention was focused on them, finally noticed the two beside her.

"Oh my!" she gasped. She hadn't noticed them when she opened the door at all! All her eyes saw were her children whom were standing behind a potted plant as though they were hiding and sneaking around. Gods the number of times that had happened...

"It's alright Mrs. Weasley, I don't really mind." Gabrielle smiled.

The woman breathed a sigh of relief, "Goodness me, where are my manners. Please do sit down Madam Lovegood. I will see to it that _these children_ behave themselves."

"Thank you for your hospitality Mrs. Weasley, but I'm afraid we should get going for the ball. It is almost nightfall and it would be rude if we come in late."

Fred's lips curved into a frown.

oOo

"Your Majesty, We cannot find Prince Draco anywhere." The guard reported, his head bowed down low.

Lucius glared intently at the guard. "Very well then, this will just come as a surprise to him. You are dismissed."

"Yes, your majesty."

oOo

Meanwhile...

"Blaise! I said come here!" Draco exclaimed from afar. They're currently at the garden. It was twilight and the ball is about to start in an hour. He didn't want to be inside the castle right now because he was feeling slightly nervous and he needed to breathe fresh air.

"Not everyone can run as fast as you, you prat."

"You know you can get executed for insulting the prince right?"

"Whatever, your pratness." Blaise rolled his eyes.

This is why Draco liked him. Blaise doesn't treat him as a prince; he treats him as a person, as him. He's not afraid to insult him and get into a brawl with him and that is what's striking about his best mate. "Do you reckon Lily's going to be here? I should've asked father to welcome regular citizens..."

Blaise sighed heavily and sat down on the grass. Draco followed suit.

"Do you think she's a regular citizen? Did she look like a normal folk to you?"

"No."

"Then she's probably a noble and she's probably going to attend this ball."

"But I've never seen her in any of the Royal Balls before."

"Yeah, and that is why your father made it a requirement for everyone to attend."

"Wow, he did that? For me?" Wow. Someone must've replaced his father then.

"Maybe."

There was a comfortable silence between them for a couple of minutes before the music boomed from the castle. "It's starting." said Blaise.

Draco's heart rate doubled in anticipation. He wondered how Lily will react if she finds out the he's the prince... will she run away, scared? Or will she turn into a mute doll? Or will she remain herself?

"You can go on ahead, I'll catch up." he said, his voice slightly trembled.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Go on, don't worry I'll be there."

"Hey, don't be nervous. You're a prince for Merlin's sake!" Blaise replied enthusiastically giving Draco a rough pat on the back as he stood up. "I'm meeting up with Theo. See yah!" He bid a short farewell.

oOo

"Lily? Are you alright?" Gabrielle whispered to him worriedly. She sat beside Harry in the carriage and the young lad was slightly trembling. "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing." He replied. He honestly didn't know what's wrong. It's just that as they got closer to the palace, his heart rate doubled.

Gabrielle narrowed his eyes on the boy. Something's wrong for sure. His mate? Is his mate in danger? Or is he sensing something bad? Oriels have the ability to foretell the future with much accuracy but Harry was a young one and he doesn't know how to control his powers yet so all he could do was to sense impending danger. And if that's the case then she should do something to protect her adopted young. She grabbed Harry's hand and held it comfortingly. The young lad turned to her and smiled.

"I'll be alright." He said a little too loudly, catching Molly Weasley's attention.

"Is there something wrong, Lily dear?" she asked, her brows furrowing slightly. "Are you feeling pain again?"

Ginny turned to him. Harry shook his head gently. "No, I'm just nervous is all."

"Why would you be nervous?" Fred asked. Oh yes, Fred came with them. He decided that he wanted to join them at the last moment so now they're running a little behind schedule because Fred had to prepare himself. He's wearing one of his rarely worn black coat that fit his body and reached down to his mid-thigh over his white vest and dark blue-grey long-sleeve's shirt. Instead of a tie, Fred wore a purplish pink cravat.

"Well... it's my first time to a ball... I can't help but feel a bit giddy."

"Are you sure you're not having an attack again?" Ginny asked.

"Attack?" Gabrielle repeated. "What does that mean?"

"Oh, Recently, Lily's been—"

"Getting panic attacks." Molly interjected.

"Is that so..." Gabrielle muttered. Of course she didn't believe it. She knew perfectly well that those attacks were happening because of two reasons,

One – Oriels cannot stand being apart with their mate once they have met.

Two – His wings are sprouting.

_I wonder how his wings would look like... Half Oriels don't get pure white wings and I'm also curious to see which affinities he can control. _

...

Several minutes later, they've finally reached the palace. There was a line at the gate where the guards check every carriages and verify it's passengers by asking for their family crests. It didn't take long before it was their turn to show their crest and everything went smoothly. Their carriage stopped in front of the palace's main entrance and outside there were probably twenty guards manning the front. 2 guards stationed near the bottom opened the carriage door for them. Fred was the first one to go out, followed by his mother, then Ginny. Harry sat frozen stiff and the Veela had to coax him out of the carriage. Gabrielle went down first and then finally, Lily. Everyone's gaze turned to him and everyone seemed to pause from what they're doing.

'_Again with the staring!' _Harry exclaimed in his mind.

"Masks on please." The guard said, his eyes seemingly fixated on Harry. Fred took note of that and glared at the guard.

Everyone, including Fred who had to search their basement for a mask, did as the guard said and covered their face.

The gazes of those who have seen Harry's face before he put on his mask still lingered on him as they made their way inside the palace. They finally broke out of their trance when the group disappeared behind the door.

Fred held out his arm for Harry and smiled. Gods, he looked dashing! Harry thought. He never noticed the extent of Fred's handsomeness until now that he looked like a proper gentleman. He gladly clung on Fred's arm.

"Mother!" A familiar voice called. Gabrielle spotted the owner of the voice and walked over to her daughter. Luna gave her a light hug.

"You look lovely, my Luna."

"Thank you very much. You look lovely too, mother."

"Did you bring an escort with you?" The older Veela asked.

Luna nodded her head. "Neville's here with me."

Gabrielle hummed in amusement. "Lily, Fred and Ginny are here with me. Why don't you go greet them?"

Luna nodded her head.

oOo

"I just realized something stupid about this ball that Draco didn't see." Blaise said complacently, "His father arranged for a masquerade ball! How the bloody hell will he find his Lily?"

Theodore Nott laughed in response.

"I'll know when I see her." Draco said, startling the two in front of him.

"Blimey Draco! Don't sneak up on us!"

The three of them were currently at the balcony, hidden from the view of the guests. They were leaning on the rails and observing people from there.

Draco sat down on the chair at the back. He was feeling light headed and his heart wouldn't stop pounding against his chest. He didn't know what's wrong with him. He had been to countless balls before and never has he felt like he was feeling right now. It's not because of Lily, no, it was something else... he just couldn't point a finger at it but it was like he's finally going to... going to what?

"That's it. I can't stand this." Draco said tiredly. "I'm going out to get some air again." He stood up and reached for the door.

"Hey mate, what's going on with you? You're acting weird. Are you sick?" Blaise asked worriedly.

"No, I'll be fine. Stay here." And with that he's gone, leaving a worried Blaise and a confused Theo behind.

...

Draco went down to the garden, just outside where the ball was being held. There, in the middle, behind the tall bushes was a huge fountain with a female angel statue on the top. The moon shone on the fountain, casting its illuminating glow on it. Even the white lilies scattered around the area glowed from the moon's gentle light.

He sat down on the edge of the fountain and took a very deep breath. He had to compose himself before the ball officially begins and he's finding it hard to do that. Also, he won't be able to find Lily if he's feeling off at the moment.

oOo

Meanwhile...

_I need to go. I need to go outside. He's waiting for me. I need to go! _

"I need to go." Lily said out loud. Fred turned to him.

"Why?"

He was alone with Fred on a corner at the moment. Molly went around to greet some 'acquaintances' with Madam Lovegood, while Ginny, Luna and Neville mingled with the other teens, excitedly discussing the reason why they were required to attend the ball.

"I need to go." Harry repeated monotonously.

"Lily? What's going on?" asked Fred, placing both his hands on Lily's shoulders.

_*****Do not touch me**.**__* _The raven-haired lad warned in a different language. His eyes turned into golden slits.

Fred's eyes widened in surprise. He swiftly removed his hands away from Harry's shoulders and stumbled back. "W-what—?"

_*****You are not to follow me!*** **_Harry exclaimed. He ran away from the shocked lad and went outside to the grounds. He needed to go. _He's waiting for me. _Harry didn't know where his feet were taking him but he was certain that, that's where _he_ is.

He ran until he reached a garden that smelled of lilies. He slowed down, his breath in pants. _He's here! _He thought. His heart threatened to jump out of his throat when he felt the presence of his mate. _He_ was waiting. _He_ was sitting down on the edge of the fountain, mentally calling out to him. Lily hurriedly approached the figure at the fountain.

_*****My mate...__*****_ Lily called softly.

The blonde turned to him with bright silver eyes. He stood up from the fountain and met Lily halfway through. His heart thundered against his chest violently at the stunning sight of the girl. "Lily..." he mumbled.

The said girl smiled at him serenely, causing his heart to flutter. Their eyes locked together. Emerald and Silver.

Draco crossed their distance eagerly and caressed Lily's soft cheeks. He gently removed Lily's mask that was getting in the way of her beautiful face with his other hand.

"Hello." He whispered, their lips merely inches away.

Yes, everything was progressing very quickly but nothing seemed out of place. Everything felt perfect and right where it should be. The way Lily blushed, the way her body shivered lightly when Draco wrapped an arm around her waist to close their distance and the way their lips are about to touch...

"What's your name?" Lily whispered softly, her gaze at him was unwavering.

"Draco..." he answered as he closed the short distance of their lips.

The two closed their eyes and indulged themselves into the kiss. Instead of pushing away, Lily wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and pressed harder against Draco's body, deepening their kiss. Both were overwhelmed by the desire burning inside them as they held each other.

* * *

><p>Harry opened his eyes slightly to see Draco's flushed expression. He closed his eyes again and gave himself over to Draco's warmth.<p>

The intoxicating scent of Draco was enough to completely melt Harry against the blonde's body. Each time Draco murmured his name 'Lily' something throbbed painfully inside Harry's chest. Embracing each other this way, focusing only on their kiss, all at once the world seem only to have the two of them in it. It was a wonderful feeling yet something inside him was nagging at him to stop this. Stop this because it's not really you Draco is kissing.

"Lily..." Draco breathed once more, though this time the name rang louder in Harry's ears.

'_Lily. Lily, not Harry. You're not the one he sees. You're not the one he desires.' _The voice inside him whispered, filling his chest up with immeasurable pain. "No..." he muttered weakly, pushing away Draco.

Draco seemed surprised at the sudden parting of their bodies. He looked dazed and confused for a moment before finally grasping what happened. "What's wrong?" he asked, his slightly hurt gaze was digging a hole in Harry's heart.

"All this..." _'You embraced me as though we've been together for years. You look at me like I'm the only one who matters in this world. But you don't really see the real me. It hurts.' _He finished in his head.

"You don't know me, and I don't know you." Harry said with each word tearing his heart apart. He dropped his gaze to the ground and backed away from the blonde as though he's a plague to be avoided.

Draco was taken aback by the words suddenly thrown at him by the person who was just moments ago was practically giving herself to him. Her words stung even though her tone held no bite. Still, he was never the one who just stands back without a fight.

"Yes, that might be the case but I'm sure that I wasn't the only one who felt _something _earlier. I know you felt it too." He replied, his eyebrows knitting together in slight irritation.

'_I did. Strongly, even.' _He bit back, instead saying: "No... I was only swayed by your emotions..." Harry knew this would spite the other lad but what else could he say? At every second that passed, his jealousy towards Lily became worse and it would only be a matter of time before he kills himself over jealousy. Draco saw _Lily, _not _Harry_. '_This is messed up.' _Harry chewed on his bottom lip as he always did when he's trying to choke back his tears.

The next occurrence was totally unexpected. Draco took a huge step towards Harry and grabbed his arm, pulling him into a tight embrace. Harry's heart rate doubled as his head rested on Draco's firm chest. He could hear the blonde's heart beating as loud and fast as his own.

_Their hearts were at sync._

"Don't lie." Draco breathed firmly yet softly.

Two words, two simple words were enough to leave him breathless. _Don't lie. _Harry can feel it; he can feel Draco's emotions coursing inside him like his own. _'He knows I'm lying. He wants me. He wants to keep me in his arms forever.' _That's not right,_ ' He wants Lily, not Harry.' _His heart clenched painfully once more. Overwhelmed by emotions, Harry pushed Draco away and stumbled a few feet away as a result. He noticed immediately that his body was shaking. His body was rejecting what he just did. The overwhelming desire to come back to Draco battled his fierce desire to run away. His body shook in non-existent cold air as the blonde stared in worry.

"Lily..."

That name again. Harry bit his lip in frustration and turned away to the exit. Draco lunged forward and grabs a hold of his trembling shoulders before he could get away. Harry turned up to look at Draco's confused expression. He's confused of what's happening, anybody would be. One moment they were locked in a passionate embrace and now he was avoiding him like a plague.

"Let go! I'm not Lily!" Harry cried as tears formed on the corner of his eyes. He tried to yank his arm away from Draco's grasp but the grip was really tight and Draco was much stronger than him.

"What do you mean—" Draco paused when a shout overlapped his voice.

"Let go of her!" the voice belonged to Fred and he sounded enraged. Draco shifted his gaze to the panting redhead and met his cold glare. "Let go of her." he growled lowly, staring daggers at Draco. Without a pause, Fred yanked Draco's hand off of Harry's shoulder and then pulled Harry into his chest, circling an arm around him in a protective manner.

"Never go near her again if you don't want to lose your life." Fred threatened; his usual friendly demeanor gone and was replaced by a cold one that sent a shiver down Harry's spine. It was the first time he ever saw Fred like that and it scared him.

Draco returned Fred's cold glare with an equally menacing one. "You're the one who's ought to stay away. It's rude to just come in uninvited to a conversation." He said icily.

"Oh but it wasn't a conversation wasn't it? You were hurting her."

"I wasn't. This is none of your business. Go before I set the guards on you."

Before he could register what he was doing, Harry stepped in front of the two, using his body as a living barrier. He didn't want a fight to break out because of him.

"I'm sorry." He said to Draco, his face apologetic. He then turned to Fred and also gave him an apologetic look before taking his hand in his. "We'll just go now." He said hastily as he dragged Fred away as fast as he could.

"Lily..." he heard Fred murmur. Luckily, the taller man followed him without so much as a word. They didn't turn to look back to see Draco's hurt expression.

oOo

"Where have you two been?!" Molly hissed at Fred and Harry after they showed up from the garden. The two hung their head low, feeling embarrassed for being scolded like children at their age. Fred elbowed Harry prompting him to speak up because he knew that his mother wouldn't dare give a mouthful to Harry; and Harry himself knew that.

"I'm sorry." He said for the nth time tonight that saying 'sorry' started to feel foreign on his tongue. "I wanted to see the palace because it's my first time here and I knew that it would be bad if I go alone so I had Fred accompany me." He explained, wearing the most innocent look he could muster up.

Molly's tense shoulder's visibly relaxed, as was her glaring face. Harry and Fred knew then that they're off the hook. "I understand, Harry dear. But next time make sure to ask for my permission. You really had me worried there for a moment."

"I understand." _Not at all._

...

"Who was that prat?" Fred asked as soon as they were alone again, or at least far away enough from the others to hear.

Harry gave Fred a sharp glare at the insult. "He's not a prat." He found himself defending Draco. It had felt as if it was an instinct to come at Draco's defense.

Fred arched a brow, eyeing Harry skeptically. "He was hurting you. I saw it with my own eyes, Harry. You were struggling." He said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"That was..." was what? What was he supposed to say to Fred? That in what seemed to be a spur of the moment, he kissed a stranger he knew for barely 10 minutes, feeling as though they've known each other for years now? That he liked it when they kissed but then he got hurt when he realized that Draco only saw _Lily _and not Harry. "I...was the one at wrong." He turned away his gaze from Fred and stared at the floor.

'_Really, Harry? You chose to lie to me to defend that prat?' _Fred wanted to say, but instead he said: "That doesn't really explain anything, you know. How can you be the one at wrong when you were the one seemingly trying to escape from his clutches? You were upset and I'm sure he must've done something to make you so."

Harry shook his head in denial. He didn't want Draco to take the blame, even though he was sure that there's no way on earth the blonde would ever want to talk to him ever again. "Please, just this once can you let it go?" he pleaded, turning his head up to meet Fred's sapphire gaze.

The redhead sighed in defeat. He never could resist Harry and his pleading. "Fine. But promise me to _never_ see him again." Fred stated firmly.

"No." came the reply without a second thought.

Fred's chest clenched painfully.

"I don't need to promise it... I'm sure that he'll never want to see me again after how I acted towards him." Harry said dejectedly.

Fred suddenly felt bad for pushing the subject when Harry clearly didn't want to talk about it. He didn't reply, instead he closed their short distance and pulled Harry into a comforting hug.

...

"I believe this is yours." Gabrielle said, smiling as she handed Harry his forgotten mask.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise; he had forgotten all about it when Draco removed it back in the garden. The only way Gabrielle could've found it is if she was...

"You saw..." It wasn't a question.

The Veela nodded, her smile never leaving her features. Harry didn't take the mask so Gabrielle moved towards him and placed the mask on Harry. "I need a word with you." She whispered, taking Harry's hand into hers. He let her drag him away from the crowd. His mind was going a thousand miles a second; it bothered him so much that someone was watching them whilst doing that. It felt like his privacy was invaded. That moment with Draco was something he didn't want to share with anyone, it was only for the two of them to share and no one else.

Harry got a second waft of cold air as they stepped out of the ballroom and into the darkness of outside once again.

Gabrielle took Harry to a gazebo far away from the crowd. Harry on the other hand, followed her obediently without any questions, as his mind was as empty as he felt.

"Do you know who Draco is?" The veela started, holding Harry's hands into hers. She didn't wait for Harry to reply before she continued, "His whole name is Draco Lucius Malfoy." Harry's eyes widened in recognition. "He's the crown prince of this kingdom."

Harry's body stiffened at the revelation. It all made sense now. Draco didn't just look like a prince out of a painting; he was actually really a _prince. _What the bloody hell was going on? "What..." he murmured, unable to find his voice. An unpleasant feeling bubbled up inside him. It was impossible enough to be with Draco being a guy, but Draco being a prince took the impossibility to a whole new level. Harry's heart clenched painfully.

Gabrielle smiled unexpectedly. "Harry, learn not to think of his bloodline. Do your best to not make him into royalty, Draco is Draco." She said with such gentleness.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Gabrielle let go of his hands; her smile faded and was replaced by an unfathomable expression that gave Harry an impression that he's not going to like where this is going.

"Because I need to tell you something important about yourself and your family." Her reply was stern and straight to the point.

Harry was unable to reply, mildly due to shock, confusion and fear.

"As nice as the Weasleys are, they aren't planning to tell you this until your birthday, which is too much too late in my opinion."

Harry just stared, listening intently.

"You're not human."

Harry's eyes widened, his breath hitched at the revelation. He wanted to think, to believe that Gabrielle was lying but he knew, he _felt _that it was the whole truth being bared in front of him.

"Your mother was an Oriel. A celestial being residing here on earth with a purpose, though your purpose is yet to be told." She continued. "Oriels are creatures of legend that is said to have a body of a human, powers more powerful than the greatest sorcerer, beauty that rivals that of a goddess, kindness that touches every soul, and love that matches no other. In other words, an angel."

Harry's stomach made a painful lurch, his heart thundered in his chest as though he was facing death itself. He had to grab his chest with his hand to try and control his rapid heartbeat. He hadn't even noticed that Gabrielle's enchantment on his body had long since worn off.

"On your 17th birthday your wings will appear and you will find out which affinities you can control."

"...I.. h-how.. did you know all this?" he asked, finally finding his voice and will to speak.

"I was your mother's friend, and also because the legend of Oriels are well known to Veelas."

"Mother... is she?"

"Yes. She's a pureblood Oriel and only a handful of people knew. Our _king _is afraid of creatures that are more powerful than him so we had to hide."

"Is this why they were trying to hide me from the world?" he asked, his voice shaking.

"No. I will get to that later, first I must tell you the reason why you are hurting. Oriels, much like Veelas, have their destined mate. Once you have found your mate, the need to be together will intensify tenfold and being apart will physically hurt, especially for the Oriel."

"So that's means I have found mine..." he whispered to himself breathlessly.

The Veela nodded with a confirming smile. "Care to guess who it is?" she said gently.

Without a single hesitation and a pause for thinking, Harry answered "Draco."

Gabrielle's smile widened, her eyes glinting with happiness. No one has ever looked at Harry with genuine happiness from the heart before. He wasn't sure how to react but even before he noticed it he was already smiling. "Draco's my mate..." he repeated. But then reality crashed in his mind and his smile turned into a frown.

"He hates me now."

Gabrielle shook her head. "The half can never truly hate its other half. No matter what happens, no matter what obstacle may come in between the two of you, you can never hate each other. The love between mates is the strongest love of them all." She said, her voice gentle and warm. "One can't live without the other."

Harry knew in his heart that Gabrielle's words rang the truth. The cloud of regret and sadness over his heart had diminished and his spirit has lifted once more, his eyes seeing a new light to the revelation. It felt like a fragment of himself has been finally found after a lifetime of searching and it was all thanks to the Veela.

Tears gathered on the corner of his bright emerald eyes as he closed the distance between them and buried his face in her chest like a child would do to his mother after a nightmare. Gabrielle wrapped her loving arms around him, offering her love and support. He started crying out of both relief and terror. Relief because he finally knows what he is, and terror because he's now very aware of the strong connection he has with Draco.

He cried and cried and cried. He hadn't noticed how much time passed nor when did they sank to the floor but he didn't care. All he could do as of the moment was cry 17 years worth of tears.

"Thank you." He whispered hoarsely as he continued crying. He didn't let go of her, he didn't ever want to let go of her. For the first time in his life, he felt like he had a mother.

"You're welcome, my child." Came the sweet reply, followed by a warm gentle kiss on the top of his head.

At that moment, Harry's heart swelled with love for Gabrielle Lovegood.

* * *

><p><em>Just an author's note: Harry <em>_**wasn't**__ speaking in __**Parseltongue**__ :P hehehe. _

_I would like to thank _**Talltree-san, Ash Aijo, HinaLuvLuvChan and Silvermane1 **_for always giving me feedbacks! I always look forward to your reviews ^^ again, thank you so much for supporting this story! I really appreciate it. *hands you all a virtual cookie*_

**Talltree-san **_has been with me every since chapter 1 so I would like to dedicate this chapter to you :) thanks for your support! *virtual hug* ^^_

_**! ANSWERS !**  
><em>

**Question #1: **Oh, and do Oriels only have white wings or can they be different colors?

**Answer:** _Only a pureblood can have pure white wings. And yes, the color sometimes varies according to the Oriel's elemental affinity. For example, if an Oriel has the affinity for fire then his/her wings will have orange red streaks indicating his/her affinity. Pure white wings indicates that an Oriel is a pureblood and he/she has all the elemental affinities._

_**Please don't forget to leave a lovely review or a constructive criticism because they really get me going :)**_

_Thank you very much._


	4. Chapter 4

Hello my lovelies!

**! ! ! I. M. P. O. R. T. A. N. T.! ! ! **

_To all my past readers, _

_As you may have noticed, the chapters became fewer (it's supposed to be 9 now but instead it has 4) Well, that's because I compressed the past chapters together so that there would be fast progress because a friend pointed out that the story was dragging and she couldn't wait for the 'big twist' I have in store for you guys! Hehehe. _

_Thanks for understanding!~ _

oOo

This chapter would begin with Remus and Sirius so don't be confused! You're still reading Once in Every Lifetime :)

Because of this chapter, this fanfiction is now rated M! hehehehe.

**Warning: **_Mentions of sex.__I'll indicate where so if you're not up to it, you can skip.__**Don't like; don't read.**_

* * *

><p>Remus conjured a cushioned seat in front of the warm fireplace and sat down; ready to immerse himself in the book Sirius has gotten him. He brushed the old golden cover of the book with delicate fingers and traced the swirling patterns. The book had no title; it only had a moonstone gem in the middle, which the half of it was buried in the cover. It was thick and it would probably take him a day or two to finish it.<p>

He opened the book and started reading the first page; as he suspected, it was written in another language but luckily he is familiar with it.

_I wrote this book as a reference for the future for those who will need help. _

_Everything written in this book is based from what I experienced and what I have been told by an Oriel herself. _

_Take note that this book is protected by an ancient spell that would not allow a person whom has not yet met an Oriel to read it. _

_This book does not only contain things about Oriels but it also contains spells and rituals that only Oriels may use or perform. Any attempt made by an ordinary human or magical creature would be ineffective. _

_Now that you have read my warnings and notes, you may continue on reading. _

Remus traced the handwriting after he was done reading it. He had never seen glittering ink before and that really piqued his interest, he wondered if the person who wrote this book used an old spell that has been forgotten over time to beautify the ink and his handwriting. He took a deep breath and turned to the next page.

What he saw shocked him at first and then annoyed him. There, on the second page was an entirely different text written in an unknown language. He growled in frustration and ran his fingers through the unreadable text. Remus was about to throw it away when suddenly; the book glowed brightly and engulfed the whole room in a bright light. The brunette could only close his eyes in defense.

After a few moments, the light faded and Remus rapidly blinked his eyes in an attempt to vanish those annoying black spots he was seeing.

His eyes drifted down to his empty hand and before he could start panicking, his eyes shot up to see a lake. He wasn't in the inn's room anymore.

_Do not fear. This is merely a memory. _Said a female voice from above. Remus searched for the source but found none.

_This book has been enchanted by a wizard and an Oriel to purposely show the memory we have chosen for your viewing. Worry not, for it will show what you seek._

Remus decided just to trust the disembodied voice and go along with whatever he was about to see.

_There, hovering above the lake was a beautiful maiden with pure white wings. Her skin was glowing along with her hair and wings, illuminating the area around her. _

_The maiden's eyes were closed, and her hands were locked together in a praying gesture; her dark long hair fanning behind her. The mysterious maiden was naked but strangely, it didn't seem wrong. _

_Suddenly, Remus could hear a voice that belongs to the maiden hovering over the lake. _

'_I have reached my destination, Father.' She spoke in a voice that sounded so unexplainably beautiful. It was as though a harp was playing harmoniously with bells but spoken in a melodic whisper. Remus' thoughts didn't make sense at the moment as the maiden continued to speak. _

'_May your light always guide me.' _

'_Always' a voice replied. The voice didn't sound like anything yet it could be heard and understood. Remus gasped as an overwhelming feeling engulfed him. The strange feeling of wanting to cry and laugh at the same time suddenly overwhelmed him and he didn't know why. _

_The celestial being opened her golden eyes to see a young man collapsed on the ground. She gracefully flew to the unconscious form. She stopped right in front of him; she then kneeled down and brushed the back of her hand on the young man's cheeks. _

'_My other half,' she whispered. 'Awaken' _

_The man roused awake at the command, staring at the girl in both awe and shock. The maiden sat on the ground, with her knees folded and underneath her. She moved the man's head and cradled him on her bare lap. _

'_What are you?' the young man muttered, seemingly enticed by the mysterious being stroking his blonde hair. _

'_Young earthlings know us by the term Angels.' _

'_Angels.' The man murmured dreamily. _

'_I am here for you.' She smiled._

_The young man gasped softly, he then took the maiden's hand in his own and gingerly caressed it as though he was verifying that she was really there._

'_Why? Am I dead?' he said in a whisper. _

'_No, I came here because you are my destined one.' _

The scene in front of Remus suddenly faded to black, only to be replaced by another one. This time, he was inside a small house with the same people from earlier.

_The beautiful winged-maiden was now clothed, and her wings were nowhere to be seen. She hummed a lovely tune as she stroked the soft fur of a white kitten resting on the table. _

_The kitten purred in delight, its eyes drooping. The angel chuckled and continued to hum. She stared at the back of her mate as he chopped vegetables on the kitchen counter. _

'_It will be ready soon, my angel.' The man said warmly without turning to face the woman. _

'_I prefer 'my oriel.' Your native language is far better than this lands' I like Oriel better than Angel.' The woman replied playfully._

'_Whatever you wish for, my ORIEL.' The man chuckled. _

The scenery faded again and changed to another one. This time, the couple was sitting in a meadow surrounded by beautiful flowers. The man was resting his head on the Oriel's lap as he stared at a parchment, while the Oriel busied herself by making a flower crown.

"_I can't understand what you've written here... I give up." The blonde whined, sighing in frustration._

_The Oriel giggled and placed down the half-finished crown to playfully pinch the man's cheeks. _

"_Hey!" _

_The Oriel giggled again. "You shouldn't give up. But it is also important to know when you have reached your limits. It took you 3 days to realize that you cannot do it and that is too long... you've made me wait too long so I am punishing you." _

_The man grinned. He sat up straight and faced the Oriel. "What am I supposed to do?"_

_Instead of answering, the Oriel held out her hand, closed her eyes and suddenly her hand was glowing. _

_The man didn't seem fazed at all by the unusual show of wandless magic. But then again, she wasn't a witch. _

_The light in her hand faded, revealing a moonstone gem. _

_The blonde eyed it curiously until the woman spoke, "Touch this stone and say 'succoro' and it will help you."_

_The blonde nodded and touched the stone. 'Succoro!' _(AN: pronounced as: skyu-ro)

The scenery faded and the next thing Remus knew was he was back at the inn.

"Remus! Gods, you scared me!" Sirius exclaimed, both his hands were on the brunette's shoulders.

"Sirius? What happened?" he asked warily, seeing as Sirius' face was full of worry.

"When I got back you were standing as stiff as a statue! I kept calling your name and shaking your shoulders but you didn't respond. Also your eyes looked oddly blank." Sirius sighed, wrapping his arms around the smaller man's waist, pulling him closer so that there was no more space between them. "I think I just lost 10 years of my life thanks to that." He sighed again.

"I'm sorry I worried you. I was reading the book you gave me and it showed me various memories of an Oriel." He explained, rubbing circle's on Sirius' back to soothe him.

"I should've checked it before I gave it to you... What if it caused you any harm? I wouldn't be able to forgive myself then."

A smile tugged on Remus' lips. "Sirius Orion Black, the last time you tried to read a book you fell asleep on the 2nd page. How do you expect yourself to check this book's content thoroughly?" he teased, earning himself a nip on the neck.

"Oww!"

"No teasing. I was seriously worried about you!"

"Sirius said 'SIRIUSly'." Remus laughed, getting another nip on the neck but this time it was harder.

*** M

Sirius didn't say anything else but instead, his hand traveled down his lover's arse and gave it a light squeeze, causing the shorter lad to gasp lightly in both surprise and pleasure.

Sirius grinned and moved his mouth to Remus' ear to nibble it. The brunette moaned lightly, shivering in pleasure at his lover's touch. "You need to be punished for mocking Lord Sirius Black." The man purred seductively.

Remus moaned again. He could feel his knees giving out as he wrapped his arms around Sirius' neck for support.

The black-haired lad lifted Remus' chin with one hand and devoured the brunette's slightly parted lips. He viciously ravished the younger man's soft ones who in turn, thoroughly enjoyed the harsh pleasure as he moaned into their kiss. Sirius didn't need to ask for permission to slide his tongue inside Remus' hot mouth, the little minx already had his mouth wide open, waiting to be devoured by Sirius.

The older man smirked as he inserted his tongue inside his lover's wet and hot mouth and explored every inch of it; numbing Remus' mind in the process.

"Ahh.. wait.." the brunette whimpered as he noticed he was being directed to the bed not far away from were they were standing.

"No waiting, I did too much of that already today. I will ravish you until you cannot feel anything else but me." Sirius replied in a hoarse voice.

When they came close to the bed, Sirius didn't hesitate to push his petite lover down before towering over him, Remus trembling in lust in between his legs.

"Sirius.." Remus' begged, his eyes shining with tears. "Please.."

The said man hurriedly stripped all of his lover's clothes, leaving the brunette's body very exposed and tempting.

He eyed the naked body under him with such hunger and desire that left Remus shivering under his gaze.

"Why are you so damn sexy!?" Sirius hissed as he pressed his lips against the brunette's and hungrily devoured his lover's sweet soft lips.

oOo

After hours of glorious shagging, the two finally lost their stamina and fell asleep.

Remus was the first one to wake by dawn. He gingerly sat up, careful not to put too much pressure on his sore backside. Merlin, Sirius really fucked him until he was too numb to feel anything but the man's thick cock.

*** End

He woke hours before he should because of that nagging feeling that he was supposed to be doing something... of course he should be, Harry's birthday was merely 4 days away and they are yet to make it back to the kingdom.

His gaze fell on the abandoned magical book on the floor. The wizard walked towards it, picked it up and dusted it's back. Suddenly, he remembered the important thing he was supposed to be doing; reading the contents of the book. He remembered the memory and recognized the same moonstone the Oriel produced as the one adorning the cover of the very book he was holding. He did as the Oriel in the memory instructed and placed his hand over it and chanted the spell: _"skyuro"_

The gem glowed momentarily. Remus hadn't felt any change at all but when he opened to a page he was suddenly able to read it. The texts seemingly have changed when he did the spell.

A smile spread along his lips as excitement thrummed in his veins. He sat down on the chair he conjured earlier and winced when his bum landed a little bit too harshly on the soft cushion. Though that didn't stop him from going back to the first page and starting from the beginning.

'_Before anything else, be forewarned that using this book to harm or kill an Oriel will result in disaster._

_Killing an Oriel will bring forth a decade of catastrophe._

_You have been warned. '_

oOo

By the time Remus looked up from the book, it was already minutes till sundown. He was completely absorbed by the contents of the book. Everything from magic spells to how Oriels live is indicated in the book. It was so fascinating that Remus forgot about the time and Sirius...

Who was by the way, currently not in sight.

The brunette closed the book and gently placed it on the seat where he sat moments ago. He stretched to loosen up his muscles that had gone stiff for staying still for a long period of time. "Sirius?" he called, whilst walking around to check for his lover.

His search was in vain seeing as he was all alone. He sighed in exhaustion and proceeded to shower before preparing their dinner.

oOo

The events that transpired before they left the ball were insignificantly dull, so to say. Molly Weasley closely followed by her two children; Ginny and Fred were running around the castle in worry in search for Harry. They weren't able to find them until Gabrielle and Harry returned to them since the Veela had cast a very powerful concealment charm on the two of them and the area they were, of course Gabrielle Lovegood had the good sense of ensuring they were _secure and private_ because one revelation to another will cause them dearly.

After being found by the worried Mrs. Weasley they immediately left the castle with an excuse of Lily not feeling so well. Once they had arrived at the Weasley Mansion Harry went straight to his room as per Molly's order and Harry hesitated but complied with the looks Gabrielle was shooting him. He marched off to his room, hoping that the Weasley couple wouldn't reprimand Gabrielle.

. . .

Harry discarded all his clothes and immersed himself in his rose-water filled bathtub which was prepared by the maids with the use of magic so that it wouldn't take much time.

As Harry's body completely relaxed with much help from the soothing effects of the roses, his thoughts drifted back to what Gabrielle told him when he finally calmed from crying.

"_The Weasleys has been keeping you in the dark haven't they?" The blonde asked as she conjured cushions for them to sit on comfortably. _

_Harry took a seat as he nodded in reply. _

"_Tell me what you know about magic and about this kingdom..." _

_And Harry proceeded to tell her the little information he knew._

* * *

><p><strong>IF YOU DIDN'T READ THE IMPORTANT MESSAGE AT THE TOP I SUGGEST YOU READ IT NOW!<strong>

oOo

_**YOU GUYS ARE IN FOR A PLOT TWIST THAT WILL MAKE YOU SCREAM AND FLIP ALL THE TABLES IN THIS PLANET. **_

_**PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR MORE CHAPTERS AND BE READY TO GET YOUR KNICKERS IN A TWIST.**_

_**You will NEVER be able to guess what will happen next! I'm not even sorry. **_

_**-evil laugh- **_

_**Feel free to leave a review! It's easier now to do so!**_

_**Let's face it, the more reviews the faster the next chapter comes XD**_

(The next chapter is almost done XD hehehe I'd be updating again this week!)


	5. Chapter 5

"_Tell me what you know about magic laws and about this kingdom..." _

_And Harry proceeded to tell her the little information he knew. _

oOo

"_About magic, I know that it is not rare but only those who are in a high status may use it freely, those who are beneath -as the Weasleys would put it- are not allowed and will be punished severely in public. There are schools exclusive to teaching magic to those who belong in noble families who want to learn how to properly cast a spell and hone their magical abilities. Those who are not of high status are ripped away of their magical abilities as per the kings' order and is done by the powerful court sorcerer –Albus Dumbledore." _

_Harry said smoothly as the information was repeatedly forced in his brain by his tutors. _

_Gabrielle regarded his answer with a nod. _

"_What else do you know about magic laws?" _

"_I'm afraid that's all there is." _

"_What about the kingdom?" _

"_The kingdom of Hogwarts is currently being ruled by Lucius Malfoy, alongside him is Queen Narcissa Black-Malfoy. They've been on the throne for approximately 17 years and there has been a coup d'état, which the king had won and resulted in the banning of the use of magic by the lower citizens to avoid the same mistakes. Many had died in an attempt to overthrow the king. He had the most powerful wizard- Dumbledore by his side so victory was as good as theirs. The rebels didn't stand a chance and it was a very foolish thing to do –as the king would say. So the king took counter measures to ensure that such unfortunate events would never again transpire._

_That's all they told me." _

_Gabrielle frowned. The Weasleys are very kind and generous, no doubt about that but it wasn't right and justifiable for them to keep Harry in the dark, fully knowing that he was the most important key factor in the whole affair they're trying to set into motion. Really, the child was raised to be a pawn and being a mother herself, her protective motherly instincts were in full gear as of the moment. She wanted Harry to know _everything _that is being kept from him because it just wasn't _fair _for him not to know important details. She's grateful to the Weasleys for caring and keeping Harry safe but they didn't raise him as a normal child should have been raised. They raised him to be innocent and easily manipulated so they wouldn't have a hard time dealing with the boy when the time comes for him to fulfill his role. If only they realize how cruel they're being to Harry... _

"_As you may have noticed, Aristocrats, though allowed to use magic, still do not use it as often as they could." She started, determined in letting Harry know everything that is being kept from him. "That is because the king threatens those who are powerful magic casters. He does not take liking to those who are potentially powerful because he is afraid to be overthrown. Some are not able to help but show such prowess in the field of magic because some people possess what is called a 'magic core' inside them. Not everyone is born with it though. Only those who came from magical bloodlines are blessed with much power, and they are called 'purebloods.' Purebloods are the only ones with natural abilities and they are more powerful than 'half-bloods', whose blood is mingled with a common human. There are also some 'normal humans' who shows magical abilities. _

_Though King Lucius condone the use of magic, he orders its usage to be kept to a minimum level meaning it may only be used for hard tasks like building structures and roads, some mundane chores which are to be perfected with the use of magic, healing in dire situations and light charms for handy purposes. Other than that, magic cannot be used for anything else. If someone breaks that rule, they are called to the royal palace and have their powers drained by the court sorcerer._

_Because of this, most people chooses not to use their magic at all because being drained of their magic often causes certain death."_

_Harry tried to absorb every single bit of information Gabrielle was giving him. It was an information overload but he didn't care. For once someone is actually bothering enough to tell him things he had been wanting to know for quite some time and he's not going to waste such an opportunity._

"_If people can use magic, why are they so afraid of the king? You say that the king is afraid of people who are more powerful than him so that makes a statement that the king is actually weak." He asked curiously. _

_Gabrielle's cerulean eyes gleamed dangerously. "It's because Lucius has the most powerful wizard under his full control." She answered darkly. "No one knows how, but Dumbledore obeys him like a puppet on a string." _

"_And Dumbledore is much more powerful than anyone else?" Harry asked. _

"_He's the greatest wizard alive. He was the one who managed to beat Grindlewald, the darkest lord the wizarding world has ever known." _

_Harry stared in awe. He knew who Dumbledore was but he had only known him as the court sorcerer. He didn't know why such simple information was kept from him. It would've never done him any harm in knowing that. Really, sometimes it feels like he's being kept as a prisoner. _

"_Tell me more." _

_The Veela nodded and proceeded on to talk about magical creatures. _

"_Let's start off with something that we are both very familiar with- Veelas." She said; her previous dangerous expression is replaced by a look of fondness. "Veelas are very rare around here in Britain as most of our kin is currently situated in France where we are free to roam as we wish without being seen as monsters. On the contrary to popular belief, Veelas are not very hostile in nature and we are in no way trying to seduce every living-breathing creature we encounter. We have natural allures that are impossible to turn off but it is not as powerful as most implies. Our kin has been –or rather is still being exploited and abused by wizards and witches alike." Gabrielle frowned as a particularly bad memory crossed her mind. She shrugged it off though before it could become more vivid. "We do not wish for any conflict with humans but due to their behavior towards us, we cannot help but to fight back but unfortunately it only fueled the humans' belief that we are monsters and are to be treated as such. It was a very dark time then. Veelas are being hunted and raped- she said, flinching at the word rape- and then killed like some wild animals. We had no rights and no laws to protect us so we were forced to go to hiding until one very brave French wizard started a campaign in our defense. It wasn't a smooth sail but the Veelas managed to get rights and law protections from the French wizarding kingdom. Also back in that time, us Veelas have perfected and mastered spells, which transforms us into human beings and covers our allures like a blanket; so you never really know if it's a Veela you're interacting with or not._

_There are now Veelas scattered across the globe though most of our population chose to remain in France where they are the safest. But alas, we couldn't stay forever in one place since we have to go to and be with our destined mates." _

_She smiled as she thought of her loving husband. _

_Harry listened in fascination. He felt so naïve and clueless about the world he lives in. Still he knew he couldn't be blamed for it though, because he was being restrained inside the Weasley Mansion and everything he knows were taught to him by the tutors the Weasleys hired; and most of his lessons were focused on simple things, magic and the outside world was only brought up when he asks questions but his questions were rarely entertained. _

"_Tell me about vampires!" He exclaimed enthusiastically. He had always been very curious about those creatures. _

_Gabrielle couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. _

"_Vampires are dubbed as creatures of the night that feeds on human blood and kills ruthlessly using their sharp claws and inhumane abilities. Everything is true except for the 'kills ruthlessly' part. Vampires, like Veelas are misunderstood creatures. People believe that once a Vampire gets a hold of you, you are either going to be turned into a Vampire with a single bite or you're going to be drained of your blood. None of it is true, I know some Vampires and even though they don't have the best mannerisms they are not murderers and they are kind in their own special way. Vampires cannot empty a human of their blood! They're not starving Hyenas, they only take the amount they need and they don't do it forcefully, they may only take blood from those who are willing to give. A single Vampire bite is not going to turn a human into a Vampire! For a human to become a Vampire there must be certain rituals to conduct and complex spells to cast; therefore most Vampires are born as Vampires; humans getting turned are rare due to the risky nature of the turning. _

_Vampires are feared because people believe that one will die if bitten. Yes, it is true that some humans who had been bitten dies almost instantly after the feeding, but it's not the Vampire's fault. Some humans react very badly to a Vampire's venom so the tendency is they die. _

_Vampires can mostly be found in Russia where they originated. Humans leave them alone there, so they live in peace. They almost never leave Russia unless there is a very important matter." _

"_Amazing... I've always been afraid of Vampires because I thought that they're monsters... I'm sorry." _

_The Veela chuckled. _

"_No need to apologize, my darling. Vampires are really misunderstood, but now you know better than to judge blindingly." _

_A smile tugged Harry's lips. "What about Oriels?" _

oOo

"Sirius, come here quickly!" Remus called out.

Sirius, who was fixing up their dinner went to the bedroom where Remus was reading the mysterious book he got him.

Remus' brows were knitted together, giving Sirius an immediate impression that it was something very serious and possibly alarming. Remus never wears such an expression on a whim.

"What's wrong?" He asked, preparing himself for the bad news.

"Lily lied to us."

Sirius tilted his head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Remember what she told us about her kind? That if an Oriel is not together with his/her mate that Oriel will die?"

Sirius recalled the memory where they were all eating lunch at James' house and Lily was telling stories about herself and her kind. He nodded to Remus.

"Apparently, that's not true. I'm not so sure about what Lily was trying to accomplish by lying to us but she really had me worried there. Possibly Molly and Arthur too." He said, looking thoughtful.

"They said on their recent letter that Harry had been experiencing pain a lot lately, if he's not _aching_-" Sirius paused, cracking up a smile but then he continued when Remus glared at him. "-Dying for his mate then what is causing his pain?"

"According to this book, his pain is caused by the elemental affinities that are creating a bond with him." Remus frowned, something wasn't settling right with him. Lily would not lie to them just for the heck of it, there must have something deeper into it and Remus felt like he _had _to know what it was. "And also because they cannot be separated from their mate for a long period of time. Oriels shares the life force energy of their mate and they will eventually run out of it if they don't bask in the presence of their mate."

"That's weird but at the same time kind of sweet." Sirius commented, "Oriels really do run on love." He joked lightly. "That also explains Lily's sudden death. When James died, all his life force left the planet and with it, left Lily's."

Remus nodded solemnly, remembering how they lost 2 of their most precious friends.

Sirius saw the look on Remus' face, bent down and sank one knee into the bed beside his lover as moved in to kiss the brunette on the forehead. Remus closed his eyes and let Sirius' kiss travel down his face until it reached his lips. Sirius' kiss was sweet and chaste, meaning to ease his lover's inner turmoil.

Remus smiled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Sirius' head to deepen their kiss. Sirius used one hand to grip on the bed's headboard for support.

When they separated, they were both panting heavily, faces flushed red. "I love you." Sirius whispered as he touched their foreheads.

"I love you too so much." He replied smiling, as he felt eased. Sirius knew exactly how to make everything better. He couldn't wish for a better partner in life.

"We'll depart tomorrow at sunrise by the use of a portkey. Our business here took longer than expected, riding back home would take time and we'll miss Harry's birthday." Said Sirius.

"But portkeys are ridiculously expensive!"

"Well, lucky for us I am the Lord of the house of Black." He declared proudly as Remus chuckled under him.

"Why not leave right now?" The brunette asked.

"Because if we do..." Sirius moved for another kiss. "We won't be able to do _this_." He whispered seductively as he gently shifted both of them in a comfortable position where in Remus was under him and he's towering over his lover's lovely form.

oOo

Morning came much too early for Harry. He didn't want it to arrive because he was fully aware of what day it was. Today was his 17th birthday and he wasn't looking forward to it. Yesterday's conversation with Gabrielle was still as clear as crystal in his mind. A restless night was the result of what he had heard from the Veela.

Gabrielle's words rang in his ears: "_Lily, your mother, was an Oracle. She sees things even before it happens. Though she cannot control the visions of the future that she sees. 17 years ago, she saw a vision of you, Harry. In her vision you were all grown up and everyone was gathered in a room. There was a feast on the table and someone was greeting you 'Happy 17__th__ birthday' and handing you a sword. Lily was on the verge of tears while she was telling me this, she said she couldn't exactly tell what was going on but she felt that it wasn't something good and she knew for sure it was going to hurt you really bad. She told me that she and James weren't there so she figured something must've happened to them and told me to convey you a message incase they won't make it to your 17__th__ birthday... She told me to tell you to __**'Not accept the sword and then run**__. " _

"Run." Harry said out loud. "To where?"

Harry's train of though was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Harry?" The voice said, it was Ron. "Mate, are you awake?"

Harry wanted to remain silent and pretend to be asleep but what's a point of delaying the inevitable? He sighed heavily. His body felt as heavy as lead "Yes."

"Oh, I'm coming in." Then the door opened revealing his best friend. "Good Morning." Ron greeted with a grin. "Happy B-"

"Don't say it." Harry interrupted, frowning. "It's not a good morning and it certainly is not happy." He said coldly and regretted it as soon the words came out of his mouth.

Ron's grin disappeared. "What has gotten you so grumpy?"

"I'm sorry... I didn't get a good sleep last night." He continued, keeping his tone neutral. "If this is about breakfast, tell everyone I want to sleep in today, I'll just eat later."

The red-head shook his head, "Okay but I am also here to tell you that Remus and Sirius just arrived."

Harry's mood perked up at the mention of his Godparent's names. "Uncle Remus and Uncle Sirius are? Where are they?!" He asked, hurriedly getting out of his bed.

"In the east hall guest room, washing up." Ron answered. He was a little surprised by Harry's mood change.

"Thanks!" With that, Harry was gone from the room.

oOo

"Someone's running down the hallway." Remus said as he buttoned up his shirt.

They both arrived at the Weasley's early in the morning, surprising the Weasley couple who thought that the two would arrive later in the day. They were immediately welcomed to the mansion and were taken to the guest room where they took turns showering (much to Sirius' dismay). And now they just finished dressing.

Sirius sat up swiftly from bed, grinning from ear to ear. "It's the little squirt." he said happily. Sirius got up and walked towards the door, as he was about to reach for the handle, the door swung open revealing a flustered green-eyed boy in his nightclothes.

"Uncle Sirius!" Harry exclaimed and flung himself at the said man, who in turn welcomed him with open arms.

"Really Harry? You couldn't even change your clothes before you came running here?" Remus teased.

Harry's cheeks turned red as Sirius gave a hearty laugh. "Leave him alone, Remus. He was just excited to see his _handsome_ Uncle Sirius. Right, Harry?"

Both Harry and Remus rolled their eyes at the same time.

"Where's my welcome hug?" Remus asked feigning hurt.

Sirius let go of the young boy and let him dash to the brunette. Remus held Harry's petite frame, feeling happy and contented. "I missed you." He said.

"Me too." The boy replied. He loved his Godfathers very much. He always looked forward to their rare but long visits. They always had something for Harry from their travels and he enjoyed listening to their stories about their journeys. Remus was his kind, sweet and warm Uncle, while Sirius was the childish, funny and cool Uncle. He grew to love them as his 2nd parents more than the Weasley's. With Remus and Sirius, it felt like he was free and he can be himself. They didn't keep anything from him, unlike the Weasley's did.

"So squirt, what are we up to today?" Sirius asked, wagging his eyebrows.

"No, Sirius." Remus went from sweet to strict in half a second, which was always so impressive to Harry.

Sirius loved playing pranks on everyone. He would drag Harry, Fred and George along with him and pull pranks on everyone in both the mansion and the town. Sirius called them 'The 2nd gen. Marauders' and declared himself as their fearless and gorgeous leader.

"First, Harry has to wash up and change clothes."

oOo

Harry did as he was told. After an hour or so, he emerged from his room wearing a loose fitting white shirt and black fitted pants. He kept it simple because when he was alone, Gabrielle's words once again echoed in his mind. "_Not to accept the sword and then run!" _Harry thought of dressing formally but just incase he _needed _to run at a moment's notice, less clothes would make it easier for him to move.

When he went out of his room, Remus and Sirius were waiting for him by the door. The air around was different from earlier, right now it felt like they were there on serious business.

"We're taking you out today before we celebrate your birthday this evening." Remus said.

"Where to?"

"To the forest outside the kingdom."

Harry was taken aback. He'd never been there before. Rumor has it; there are monsters in that forest and anyone who doesn't know how to fight that went there never came back alive. Harry got worried and he thought of what Gabrielle said again "Run." Did his mother mean this? Should he run before he's taken to the forest? No wait, Gabrielle said Lily saw that they were _celebrating. _There wasn't going to be any celebrations in the forest.

In the end, Harry came with them without a single protest. He knew his Godfathers would never let anything bad happen to him. He trusted them more than anyone else.

...

They went there on horseback. Harry noticed that his Godfathers didn't bring anything else other than the medium sized bag that was slung across Sirius' chest.

He asked them what it was but the only answer he got was "We'll tell you soon." Which made him want to know it more.

When they entered the forest, Harry didn't feel any danger at all. Instead of danger, he felt peaceful and oddly _free. _More time passed by, Harry could tell that it was already noon by the way the sun was positioned.

"We're here." Remus said.

Harry looked over Remus and what he saw took his breath away. It was a huge lake surrounded by many trees and colorful flowers. The sun's light reflected on the lake causing it to sparkle beautifully. The lakeshore was unobstructed by anything and stretched out wide. The scenery was gorgeous. He felt like he was in another world.

They dismounted their horses by the trees away from the lake. Sirius took the horses towards a tree with low hanging branches tied the horsewhips there.

Harry walked towards a nearby rock with a flat surface and sat there as he waited for his Godfathers to settle down. From where he was seated, he watched his Uncle Remus cast something with his wand. _'He's erecting barriers... for what?' _he thought. Then it worried him. Remus was using what is considered as 'high level magic' and if he's caught he'll be punished severely. Harry turned to look at his Uncle Sirius to see if he was equally worried as him but he saw that Sirius was just standing beside him patiently waiting for Remus to finish.

"All done?" Sirius asked. The brunette nodded. Sirius walked over to Remus and they stood side by side.

"So-" Harry started but was unable to finish his sentence.

"You're an Oriel." Both Remus and Sirius interjected. They both looked tense and prepared to answer any hard questions.

Harry blinked at them twice as he processed what they just said. "I know." He replied calmly.

The two men was taken aback, clearly unprepared to hear those words from him. They had expected Harry to ask "What is that?" and then get mad for hiding it from him. They could've never guessed that Harry would say that he knows in such a calm manner. They were more prepared for an outburst rather than calm acceptance.

"What?" The two said simultaneously. Harry loved when they did that. They were like twins, but even more bonded. He cracked up a smile. He couldn't help but feel glad that his Godfathers didn't plan to keep it a secret from him forever but he was irritated at the fact that they knew all along and hadn't told him anything. But at least they were the first ones (in his family) to say it.

"I know. I've known for a quite a bit now." He said, smiling.

Harry's grin somewhat scared the duo, especially Sirius who was very familiar with that grin. Lily also grinned like that whenever she's about to do something that is going to be embarrassing to him. Remus stood in shock, his eyes wide.

"How?" Remus managed to say, although it was more of a whisper.

"Gabrielle told me."

"Gabrielle?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Gabrielle Lovegood?"

"Yes."

"How does she know?"

"Li—Mother told her."

"Molly?"

Harry shook his head. "Lily Potter."

Again with the surprises; Harry was supposed to be the one who's surprised here not them.

"Could she be a Veela?" Remus was starting to put things together. Lily had always talked about a _friend_ who's a Veela but she couldn't tell them who it was. Only James knew about Lily's Veela friend. They didn't pry anymore because Lily didn't look like she wanted anyone else but her husband to know.

Harry nodded.

"I see." The brunette stated, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Then we can skip the explaining and get to the point."

"We want you to escape." Sirius continued, "But first you have to know how to fight and defend yourself."

Harry had an idea of what they were talking about, but still it confused him as to why his Godfathers, who's an ally of the Weasleys, were telling him these things.

"Why?" Harry didn't feel the need to ask more; he just needed a reason. If his most trusted Godfathers are telling him run then he'll run.

"We're allies with the Weasleys but our loyalty will always remain with James and Lily. As good as the Weasleys are, our true loyalty now lies to you, our precious Godson." Sirius said. "We don't want you to be used as a pawn."

"We've talked about this a long time ago when we were told of their plans. We care more about you than we care about this kingdom. They are going to use you to overthrow Lucius Malfoy as they used James. We don't want to repeat what happened to your father." Remus finished. Their expressions were utterly serious so Harry didn't doubt what they were telling him.

Despite the seriousness of their discussion, Harry couldn't help but feel warm and happy all over when Sirius said that he was their precious Godson and that they will always be loyal to him. His love for his Godfathers swelled inside him.

Harry only had but one question: "What does my father and I have to do with overthrowing the king?"

Remus and Sirius exchanged a knowing glance before one of them spoke. "You are the true heir of the throne."

Harry's eyes widened in shock for a second, and then they narrowed. Emerald eyes flashing dangerously. "Explain." He stated, balling his fists.

It was Sirius who spoke.

oOo

_James Potter was the one next in line for the throne of the kingdom. He and his adopted brother, Lucius were once very close and they treasured each other like any other siblings did. Their closeness only lasted until James was announced the heir to the throne. Lucius, wanting the throne for himself, turned bitter towards everyone. Lucius and James eventually grew apart until they were like strangers to each other._

_6 months before James' wedding to Narcissa, he met the most beautiful girl in all the kingdoms: Lily Evans. He instantly fell in love with her the moment he laid his eyes on her and Lily felt the same towards him. They grew closer and closer together in the span of 5 months to the point that they're inseparable. James finally decided to cancel his wedding with Princess Narcissa and wed Lily, but his father didn't allow his decision since Lily was not of any noble blood thus marrying her would not give the same merit as it would if he marries Narcissa. James stepped off of the throne, leaving it to the hands of his willing adopted brother, Lucius. Days later, their father fell ill and eventually passed away, leaving the kingdom to Lucius. According the late king's will, 5 estates shall belong to his legitimate son, James, and he shall bear a crest of his own. Also, half the king's fortune and treasures will also belong to him, while the other half belonged to Lucius._

_Years passed as Lucius and James went their separate ways. James was a high ranking noble, living with his wife, who was bearing his unborn son while Lucius ruled the two kingdoms along with his wife Narcissa, and their one year old child._

_Lucius' rule was that of evil. He became a tyrant, pushing people to their edges. One by one his people started turning against him and forming groups out to suppress the king. And then those groups of people started seeing the noble and former heir to the throne, James Potter, as their salvation. The people were convinced that James should be their king and not Lucius as the blood that flows in his veins was not that of a royal one._

_Two years after Harry Potter was born, Lucius ordered the execution of James Potter for the crime of treason against the king. Lily and Harry, along with their close friends, Sirius, Remus, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley left the kingdom and hid deep in the woods outside the border. James fought Lucius and was winning but then he was betrayed by one of the people he considered as a close friend: Peter Pettigrew. Lucius killed James and after the fall of their leader, all the rebels who wasn't able to escape were executed accordingly._

_In a small cottage far away, Tears fell from Lily's eyes as she felt her mate's life leave his body. She herself didn't last long after James took his final breath. Lily died seconds after her husband did, leaving their son behind._

oOo

Towards the end of Sirius' story, Harry was already on the verge of tears and was trembling in anger. His face was flushed and his teeth were clenched. He looked ready to tear someone apart gruesomely. He didn't look anything like their sweet gentle Harry. The scariest bit was Harry's eyes were golden slits. The sight alarmed them.

Harry couldn't bring himself to calm down. He hated Lucius, he hated him so much but the one he hated more was Peter Pettigrew. Sure he wasn't the one who used his hand to kill his parents but he was the _reason _why he grew up without his parents, and why they were dead. He wanted to say a lot of things, but he couldn't speak. But when he finally mustered up the will to speak, his words were: "Where is Pettigrew?"

Sirius and Remus unconsciously backed away from Harry. They couldn't bring themselves to comfort him. Their Godson radiated a dangerous powerful energy and they knew that they don't stand a chance against the wrath of an unearthly being.

"He's dead. We killed him." Remus said, surprised to hear his voice sounding so calm and in control when he felt completely the opposite.

Harry swallowed and then looked him dead in the eye. "Did it hurt?" He felt like he could murder 10 people in cold blood. A feeling that he never felt before in his life.

"Very much." Sirius supplied.

That seemed to sate Harry's blood thirst. The air around him became less dangerous. But Sirius and Remus remained tense.

A brief silence enveloped them before Remus said: "We don't want you to be used like how James was."

Harry remained silent. Though he seemed to have calmed down. He was no longer trembling and his fists were unclenched to his sides.

"We want you to escape and only return when you are ready to take your place."

"I'm not going anywhere." The raven-haired boy said firmly. His eyes blazing with new purpose. "I will avenge my father." There was no chance that he was going to let his parent's murderer get away after what he did. Peter Pettigrew was lucky to be dead because Harry was sure that if he got his hands on the rat he will tear him apart. Never had he felt so much anger towards someone his whole life. The feeling was completely new but somewhat welcomed to a certain extent. He felt ready, his anger fueling his desire to take back what belonged to his father. He will avenge—

"No you will not, foolish boy." A new voice interjected. Harry quickly turned to look at the source.

Severus Snape stood a couple of feet behind Harry looking as stern as ever. His hands crossed in front of his chest, he gave a curt nod to Sirius and Remus before focusing on Harry again.

"Who a-" Harry was cut off before he could finish his question.

"My name is Severus Snape. That is all you need to know." He said.

Sirius sighed out loud, causing Severus to cringe and turn his attention to him. "Something that matters, Black?"

"Stop acting like a goddamn drama queen for Merlin's sake!" Sirius exclaimed. "Harry, he's one of your Godfathers. He's James's childhood friend, Uncle Sevvy."

"Uncle Sevvy?..." Harry mumbled confusedly.

"Do not call me that." Severus glared at Sirius, who was looking more and more teasing by the minute.

"Kids, This is about Harry." Remus said.

Severus looked irked for a moment, and then it appeared as though he was about to argue back but he just kept his mouth closed. Sirius, however, looked like a scolded puppy, pouting at being called a 'kid.'

Harry looked at them confusedly. That's when it struck him that he didn't know much about his parents or anyone close to him for that matter. He felt like a caged bird, only knowing those who came close to his cage.

Severus stood beside Harry. Looking at Harry right now, Severus felt sad for the boy. He looked so small, so alone and confused. When Lily and James died Severus wanted to take care of Harry, and so did Sirius and Remus. But everyone decided against it because Malfoy knew that Severus, Sirius and Remus were the Potter's close friends. It would've raised suspicion if suddenly one of them get's a kid right after the Potters died. So by majority vote, Harry was left to the Weasleys to be raised and taken care of as a girl to further hide his true identity. Seeing Harry lonely made him want to hold his godson in his arms until all his problems went away but Harry reminded him too much of his friend and his death that being near the boy pains him.

"You will not be avenging anyone, Mr. Potter. I will not let you. You are going to run as far as you could before the Order gets their hands on you." Severus said, keeping his voice as neutral as he could.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows in irritation. "Who are you to tell me what to do?" he asked sharply. "Ever since I could remember everyone has been telling me what to do! I feel like I don't have a will of my own!" his voice trembled. "I don't care what you think, I am going to kill the person who robbed me of my family and no one is going to stop me."

Severus looked stunned by the outburst. He seemed as though he was contemplating within himself whether to comment or stay silent.

Remus and Sirius had never heard Harry speak with such fervour before. It was as though the lid that was keeping his feelings bottled inside was finally being removed after so long. They shared a look that held meaning only they could understand without words. With a nod, Remus cited a spell.

"Accio book!" he stretched his arm forward and a huge book came flying towards his open hand. "If you are so sure about it, then you're going to need your powers."

Harry nodded curtly as Severus sighed sullenly to himself.


End file.
